Labelled by Rolling Stone as ‚The Musical equivalent of a pub crawl’ The Pogues were in Cologne at the Tanzbrunnen on Tuesday to celebrate their suitably titled ’Thir(s)ty Years’ Anniversary Tour.
I knew the plastic beer glasses would be flying, and I was pretty certain the 7pm start was more a hope than a statement of intent. I was certain too that the main question on everyone’s minds would be the same as it was in Bonn last year: ‘How will Shane be?’. Which is a pity, because people really should read their tickets more closely. It doesn’t say ‘Shane MacGowen & Band’ it says ‘The Pogues’ – and they are a great Band in their own right.