When Irish singer-songwriter Damian Dempsey cancelled his gig at the 11th annual CelticFest, festival programmer Tom Landa reckoned A Tribute to the Pogues could fill Dempsey’s Saturday night spot, March 7, at the Imperial.
“They’ve influenced a lot of people who are not just into Celtic or folk music,” Landa said of the beloved band, which formed in London in 1982 under the name Pogue Mahone — the anglicization of the Irish póg mo thóin, meaning “kiss my arse.”
“They were a big part of the punk movement. They were a big part of the New Wave movement in the late ’80s.”
Landa, who’s also artistic director of the Vancouver World Music Festival and frontman of the Paperboys and Locarno, noted the Clash’s Joe Strummer initially replaced frontman Shane MacGowan when he left the Pogues in 1991.
“They collaborated with Elvis Costello. They collaborated with Kirsty MacColl,” Landa continued.
Now Landa has gathered local talents from a variety of musical persuasions to take up the songs of the iconic band.
He believes the tribute will be country-rock crooner Natalye Vivian’s first solo show since the breakup of Whiskey Jane. Rockland Moran, who’s all about the Delta Blues, plans to get down with the Pogue’s “If I Should Fall from the Grace with God,” and roots artist Babe Gurr is set to play “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.”
The Paperboys opened for MacGowan when he first visited Vancouver post-Pogues in the mid-1990s. Landa laughed when the Courier asked what MacGowan was like and then said, “Not very coherent.”
MacGowan may wrestle with alcoholism but his labours with words have won him legions of fans.
“He is really a fabulous poet,” Landa said.
It’s that facility with language that has inspired punk pianist and beatbox poet C.R. Avery to pen a poem for the event.
Local Pogues tribute band Shane’s Teeth, named for MacGowan’s famously rotten set, will back artists flying solo.
Paul Gould said his band the Hard Rock Miners were on tour in St. Louis 15 years ago when he and bandmate Rob Thomson heard a jazz group covering the Pogues and thought “We can do that.”
Mere months later, Shane’s Teeth performed its first sold-out show at the Railway Club.
“It sure is a lot of fun,” said Gould, noting members of D.O.A. and the Real McKenzies have cycled through the group that is now largely made up of members of the Ford Pier Vengeance Trio, accompanied by Granie Sheriden on pennywhistle and Doug Kellam on five-string banjo.
Author and Courier contributor Aaron Chapman of Celtic rock band the Town Pants and the Real McKenzies will emcee the night, which will also include Pat Chessell, Dustin Bentall and the Vagabonds.
The tribute is just one of a multitude of concerts, performances, events and workshops happening during Western Canada’s largest Celtic celebration, March 6 to 17.
Landa is particularly excited to see internationally-renowned fiddler, singer, songwriter and step dancer April Verch perform at the Annex of the Orpheum Theatre March 16, and to hear Mark Sullivan and Andy Hillhouse, as well as Fàsta, perform alongside the Paperboys March 14 at the Imperial.
Gould noted Shane’s Teeth plays the St. Pat’s Bash at the WISE Hall, also on March 14.
“My son-in-law plays in the Bad Beats, the band that’s opening up for us. He’s the keyboard player,” Gould said. “I’m looking forward to playing a music gig with my son-in-law.”
For more information about the whisky tastings, performances and family-friendly events that make up CelticFest, see celticfestvancouver.com.
