am I listening to?’ It wasn’t punk like the mohawks and the chains through the nose. This was something completely different.”
Blaggards will get to showcase their Pogue Love on a special tribute show at the Continental Club on December 30. The setlist will mix songs they already do in concert with new Pogues tunes learned for the event as well as some Blaggards material. Smalley sees an even wider influence. “There are so many bands who have been spawned just from that one group. They created an entire genre,” he says. “And there’s a literary influence there as well. Bands even embrace the way they dress and slurring their words! [Blaggards] have disparate influences, but they’re a big one.”
Asked to name an Irish rock band, the average punter would probably spit out U2, or possibly the Cranberries. Others could draw up Thin Lizzy or even Horslips. But none of them have blended traditional Irish sounds and themes into rock and roll as much as the Pogues. “But we already have Irish music here. Country music and folk music all came from Irish folk. We’re shining a light on it. At the end of the day, we’re a rock band with a huge Irish vein.”
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