Shane MacGowan Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an English-born Irish vocalist and recording artist, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGowan and the Popes, as well as producing his own solo material and working on collaborations with artists such as Kirsty MacColl, Joe Strummer, Nick Cave, Steve Earle, Sinéad O'Connor, and Ronnie Drew. MacGowan was born on Christmas Day in Pembury, Kent in 1957, to Irish parents. MacGowan spent his early childhood in County Tipperary, Ireland, before his
The Pogues The Pogues The Pogues were a British Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" — the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic "póg mo thóin", meaning "kiss my arse". The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s, recording several hit albums and singles. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems, but the band continued - first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals - before breaking up in 1996. The Pogues re-formed in late 2001, and played regularly across the UK