The Pogues announce ‘Rum Sodomy & The Lash’ 40th anniversary edition with bonus tracks

The Pogues have announced a new 40th anniversary edition of their ‘Rum Sodomy & The Lash’ album. Check out the details below.

• READ MORE: The Pogues: “Fontaines D.C. are carrying their own torch and Kneecap are without precedent”

The release was confirmed yesterday (August 5), marking exactly four decades since the original album was shared back in 1985. It marked the second album from the London-based Irish folk punk band and featured production from Elvis Costello.

The new 2025 edition reissue will come in a two-LP red marble vinyl edition and a deluxe two-CD set. Both offer the original tracklist, along with a bonus disc that brings together the legendary ‘Poguetry In Motion’ EP, with tracks from the July 1985 BBC Janice Long session. It also comes with original single B-sides.

On the bonus disc are rare live versions of ‘A Pair Of Brown Eyes’ and ‘Sally MacLennane’, which were recorded at Glasgow’s Barrowland in December 1987. Also featured is a rough mix of ‘Poguetry In Motion’ outtake, the band’s version of The Lovin’ Spoonfuls ‘Do You Believe In Magic’.

CD versions will be available from September 19 (US October 24), while the vinyl edition will be out on October 24 (US November 28th). Visit here to pre-order the 40th anniversary edition of ‘Rum Sodomy & The Lash’, and find the tracklist below.

The tracklist is:

‘Rum Sodomy & The Lash’ (1985)

‘The Sick Bed Of Cúchulainn’
‘The Old Main Drag’
‘Wild Cats Of Kilkenny’
‘I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day’
‘A Pair Of Brown Eyes’
‘Sally MacLennane’
‘Dirty Old Town’
‘Jesse James’
‘Navigator’
‘Billy’s Bones’
‘The Gentleman Soldier’
‘And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’

Bonus Tracks

‘The Parting Glass (B-Side)’
‘A Pistol For Paddy Garcia (B-Side)’
 
‘Poguetry In Motion EP’

‘London Girl’
‘A Rainy Night In Soho’
‘The Body Of An American’
‘Planxty Noel Hill’
 
‘BBC Radio 1 – The Janice Long Show – 11th July 1985’

‘Wild Cats Of Kilkenny’
‘Billy’s Bones’
‘The Old Main Drag’
‘Dirty Old Town’
 
Bonus Tracks

‘A Pair Of Brown Eyes (Live at Glasgow Barrowland)’
‘Sally MacLennane (Live at Glasgow Barrowland)’
‘Do You Believe in Magic? (Rough Mix)’

For the original record, Costello was first brought in to work on the singles, but then extended his stay to work on the entire album. At the time he said: “I saw my task was to capture them in their dilapidated glory before some more professional producer fucked them up.”

When it was released on August 5 1985, it reached number 13 on the UK charts.

Back in February, the band announced a UK tour to celebrate the milestone anniversary, and it included shows in Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham and Manchester.

In January, they announced the guest vocalists who would be joining them for the dates, following frontman Shane MacGowan dying “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30 2023. He was 65 years old. His funeral took place in Nenagh, County Tipperary on December 8.

Names joining original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer and Spider Stacy included Nadine Shah, Iona Zajac, John Francis Flynn, Lisa O’Neill and Lankum‘s Daragh Lynch.

They also headed out with guest musicians Holly Mullineaux (bass), Jordan O’Leary (banjo), Fiachra Meek (pipes/whistles – Alfi), John Dermody (drums – Lankum) plus brass section Pete Fraser, Daniel Hayes and Ian Williamson.

They have since announced a run of North American shows, which kick off in September. Visit here for tickets and find a list of upcoming dates below.

The Pogues’ 2025 North American tour dates are:

SEPTEMBER
5 – Washington, D.C. – Lincoln Theater
7 – Boston, MA – Seisíun Festival
8 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
10 – Toronto, Ontario – History
11 – Montreal, Quebec – M Telus
16 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
17 – New York, NY – Terminal 5

In November 2024, The Pogues spoke to NME about their 2025, playing without Shane MacGowan, and how Fontaines D.C. helped pave the way for the run of dates.

“The ‘Rum Sodomy & The Lash’ shows stemmed from the ‘Red Roses For Me’ anniversary shows which came from outside the band,” Stacy told us. “Tom [Coll, drummer] from Fontaines D.C. was doing a weekend of Irish music in Hackney in May, and wanted to do something to mark 40 years of ‘Red Roses…’, and he got me involved and off we went.”

“It’s grown organically from the people who want to see and hear us rather than us foisting what we think is worth celebrating on anybody else,” added Fearnley.

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