Shane Macgowan And The Popes

The Popes Is A Band Formerly Led By Shane MacGowan Of The Pogues Who Play A Blend Of Rock And Irish Folk Sometimes Referred To As Paddy Beat Borrowing From World Beat A Popular Genre Name In The 1980s. Shane MacGowan And The Popes Released Two Studio And One Live Album In The 1990s Performing Live Together Until 2006. During This Era The Popes Also Recorded And Gigged On Their Own. Guitarist Paul "Mad Dog" McGuiness Reformed The Band With A New Line Up After The Departure Of MacGowan And The Demise Of The Original Band And Leads It To This Day. Shane MacGowan & The Popes After Departing The Pogues Singer Shane MacGowan Put Together A New Band Started With A Group Of People From The Pogues' Extended Family. Crew Members Paul McGuinness And Tom McManamon Formed The Core Of The Band On Guitar And Tenor Banjo Respectively. Soundman Dave Jordon And Road Manager Big Charlie MacLennan Also Followed MacGowan To The Popes Camp. Joining Them Were Guitarist Mo O'Hagan And Bass Player Bernie France Who Had Both Played With MacGowan In A Short-Lived Group Called The London Contermporary Five France Was Also An Old Friend And One-Time Teenage Band Mate Of Shane's In The Group Hot Dogs With Everything 1 . Ex-Exploited And Boothill Foot-Tappers Drummer Danny Heatly And Whistle Player Colm O'Maonlai Rounded Out The Original Group. Of This Intial Line Up Only McGuiness And McManamon Would Last The Entirety Of Shane MacGowan's Tenure With The Group. France Was Replaced By Bob Dowling On Bass Heatley Left Later To Be Replaced By Andy Ireland. A Number Of Whistle And Accordion Players And Other Musicians Moved Through The Band Through It's First Era. As Well As Backing MacGowan Both Live And On His Solo Albums The McGuiness/McManamon Incarnation Of The Popes Recorded A Few Singles And One Studio Album Holloway Boulevard Released In March Of 2000. A Live Album Release The Beast Followed In 2004. Producer And Sound Man Dave Jordan Died Of A Heroin Overdose In Paris While On The Road With The Band In March Of 1995 2 Followed By MacLennan In October Of 1996 Who Died Of A Drug-Induced Heart Attack 3 . Ten Years Later The Illness And Subsequent Death From Liver Disease Of Founding Member Tom MacManamon Would Put An End To Shane MacGowan And The Popes. The Band Played Their Final Show With MacGowan March 17 2005 4 And Had Disintigrated By The Time Of McManamon's Death In December Of 2006. A Memorial For MacManamon In March 2007 Saw Bob Dowling Andy Ireland And Brian Kelly Reuinite As The Popes Joined By Miriam Kavana And Denis Dowling. It Was Rumoured That This Line Up Would Continue As "The Electric Popes" But The Project Never Materialized.
The Popes By The Time Of The March 2007 Memorial Guitarist McGuinness Had Already Announced A New Popes Line Up With A New Album In The Works Including Charlie Hoskyns On Guitar And Will Morrsion On Drums. The Album Was Eventually Released In 2009 As Outlaw Heaven And Featured Shane MacGowan As A Guest Vocalist On Three Songs With Pogue Spider Stacy Joining MacGowan And McGuiness On Vocals On The Title Track. The Band Toured Internationally Before Releasing A Follow Up In 2012. The Album New Church Was Followed By Another Tour Including Dates Opening For The Stranglers. read less