Shane MacGowan: One More For The Road

THERE ARE THOSE who believe that Shane MacGowan is among the most gifted and singular singer-songwriters to have emerged in British music in the past 15 years (although MacGowan, ferociously loyal to his Irish ancestry, would probably quibble with "British"). As the founder and singer of the Pogues, and latterly as the leader of his own group, the Popes, he has blazed a unique trail, fusing the abrasive energy of rock with the keening melodies of traditional Irish music.