The Pogues Live In Melbourne: Forum Photo Gallery 2026

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Published April 2, 2026 by Ned Tepper

The Pogues’ Melbourne show at The Forum on Tuesday (March 31st) didn’t lean on nostalgia, it dug into it, dragged it forward, and let it breathe again.

It’s been 14 years since The Pogues last hit Australia, but you wouldn’t have picked it from the room, the energy was immediately loose, loud, and carrying that same grit that made Rum, Sodomy & the Lash stick in the first place.

This run centres entirely around that 1985 record, played in full with all the wear and weight of four decades sitting on top of it.

Not a reunion, something sharper

This wasn’t a greatest hits set dressed up as a comeback, original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer, and Spider Stacy were front and centre, backed by a rotating cast of vocalists and players that didn’t feel like a patch job.

Daragh Lynch, Iona Zajac, and John Francis Flynn handled vocal duties, supported by a full band including Holly Mullineaux, Jordan O’Leary, Fiachra Meek, Jim Sclavunos, Pete Fraser, Daniel Hayes, and Ian Williamson.

It moved like a proper unit, tight when it needed to be and messy when it mattered.

A record that still cuts through

Rum, Sodomy & the Lash hasn’t softened with age, if anything it’s picked up more bite.

Tracks like ‘The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn’, ‘A Pair of Brown Eyes’, and ‘Dirty Old Town’ landed with the same weight, while ‘A Rainy Night in Soho’ carried an added heaviness, dedicated to Shane MacGowan.

There’s more history in these songs now, and the band didn’t try to clean that up.

Support that set the tone

Opening the night was John Francis Flynn, who reshaped traditional Irish folk into something that felt just as current as anything on the main set, it was a fitting lead in with no gimmicks, just atmosphere and intent.

Don’t expect another 14 year gap

If this show proved anything, it’s that The Pogues don’t need to reinvent themselves to stay relevant, they just need to show up and play like this.

With dates still to go across Australia and New Zealand, there’s still time to catch it, but if Melbourne was anything to go by, don’t sit on it.