Celtic folk-punk act The Pogues today announced a “Farewell Christmas” tour of the U.K. and Ireland this December, which band co-founder Peter “Spider” Stacy declares will be “the last Christmas tour for the foreseeable future” — although there’s disagreement even amongst the band about that.
So far, the trek includes seven announced dates, running from Dec. 13 in Glasgow to a Dec. 20 and 21 in London (see full dates below). The band also promises Irish dates, and while they haven’t been officially announced yet, bandmember Phil Chevron posted on the group’s official forum that they will be Dec. 8 and 9 in Dublin and Dec. 11 in Killarney.
Chevron also disputed the title of the tour — advertised on the front page of the band’s site — posting this afternoon that, “This claim does not come from me and I will neither be supporting it nor discussing it. You may consider it a marketing ploy if you wish.”
However, his bandmate Stacy replied just minutes later:
“This is the last Christmas tour for the foreseeable future. That’s not to say we won’t be showing up at festivals here and there or maybe even the odd gig around the U.K. and Ireland and certainly in Europe. But we’re tired of dragging our weary, freezing carcasses around these drowning islands every December, so we’re going to give it a rest before you get tired of it, too. Go and see the Libertines. They’re the best.”
To which Chevron responded: “As you can see, opinion is not uniform on the matter. Spider is using the royal ‘we’ here.” And Stacy countered: “Using the royal we? God forbid a band member would come on these pages and do something like that!”
So whether this turns out to be the last extended run of Pogues dates remains to be seen. The band’s most recent American tour was last fall, when it performed a string of October concerts leading up to a slot at New Orleans’ Voodoo Experience on Nov. 1.
See the Pogues ‘Farewell Christmas’ tour dates after the jump…
The Pogues “Farewell Christmas” tour dates:
Dec. 8: Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland *
Dec. 9: Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland *
Dec. 11: TBA, Killarney, Ireland *
Dec. 13: O2 Academy, Glasgow, UK
Dec. 14: O2 Academy, Newcastle, UK
Dec. 16: O2 Academy, Sheffield, UK
Dec. 17: Apollo, Manchester, UK
Dec. 18: O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK
Dec. 20: O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK
Dec. 21: O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK
* Not yet announced
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Kirsty MacColl tribute concert to feature Shane MacGowan, Alison Moyet
- Video: Shane MacGowan enlists Nick Cave, Mick Jones for Haiti single
- Shane MacGowan and The Pogues touring U.S. in October
look at the bright side…they have a few months to sort it out ;)
Waaay the the west (Seattle US) where I am, I was hoping for a repeat of last October (guys, come in July, the weather is far better; or headline the Bumbershoot Festival Labor Day (1st W/E in September for all you outside NA)! Last saw you in 1989 on East Coast, can’t go to my grave without an encore! $150? Not a problem!