Interview with James Fearnley from The Pogues

Rum Sodomy & the Lash turns 40

Released in 1985, The Pogues’ album Rum Sodomy & the Lash is a cornerstone of punk and alternative rock, renowned for its raw energy, poetic lyrics, and infectious melodies. In just under three months the band are set to play the legendary album in full, including B-sides, extended version tracks, plus a special selection of their most beloved material, at Bluesfest.

Legendary vocalists Daragh Lynch, Iona Zajac, John Francis Flynn, and Lisa O’Neill will join together to stand in the place that Shane MacGowan, who sadly died in 2023, once stood.

The tour will feature original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer, and Spider Stacy along with special guest musicians Holly Mullineaux (bass), Jordan O’Leary (banjo), Fiachra Meek (pipes/whistles – Alfi), Jim Sclavunos (drums – Bad Seeds) plus brass section Pete Fraser, Daniel Hayes and Ian Williamson.

Seven spoke to James Fearnley just before Christmas from his home in LA.

You’re playing a set of the songs from the album – is that something you’ve done before in Australia?

No, not at all. I mean, we did the first time that we went there in 1988, but it was new music then.

Clearly, it cannot sound like it did 40 years ago, impossible – but is it going to be like it, or is there going to be a totally new twist, or both?

I don’t know. It’s like, I’m going to hesitate at the word ‘twist’, because it sounds that the twist sounds like, oh, we need to do this a different way to make it attractive. I think what happened conceptually with this, there wasn’t even any conceptualness about it, really. This came about, this sort of iteration of the music players of this music, through Spider – the whistle player – who is a total, sort of folk enthusiast. But, like the modern folk that’s going on in Dublin, it’s progressive. It’s like progressive folk with a lot of drones, and it’s really uncompromising – stark sometimes, but very romantic treatments of old songs and new ones as well.

I saw the lineup, and it’s huge…?

Yeah, I counted 34 people on stage last year in Dublin, amazing, and Lankum – it is humbling that these guys and women should love what we do so much – it’s basically the people who turn up around Spider and his wife’s dinner table who he loves  as people, and as musicians.

Do you think this record could be made today and would it be entirely different? Or is that too hard a question?

Yeah, it is a little bit. That’s hard to say. I mean, the way that we played music, is the way the music is played. Maybe there is a place for that kind of playing nowadays, I think it’d be a bit of a struggle somehow. But nonetheless, when you’re talking about the songs themselves and the material, whether the traditional or Shane’s, because they have lasted so long – yeah, absolutely. I do think the material would stand a chance of taking its place  – is there a place for these songs? I think, yeah.

Are the fans going nuts at the prospect?

Oh for sure, yeah. I mean, depending on the economics of a particular territory that we’ve been to. I think America’s suffering a little bit as we all understand, and I think it’s hard for people to want to actually go out anywhere, just in case they get rumbled into the back of a van and find themselves in a terrifying… it’s a bit shit here at the minute.

But, they have to get a step up onto the level where they can enjoy themselves. They do make it, but people don’t want to go out in this country, because, I think they’re a bit scared.

Are you scared?

I’m scared, on behalf of a lot of people that I know, yes, I’m a citizen here now [US], I have been since the Bush administration, in 2003 – but that seems like it’s less and less meaningful nowadays. You know that anybody can be picked up? I’m just lucky not to have brown skin. I’m white enough, and that’s the sad thing about it – I’m saying that with a sort of sneer in my voice, but I am privileged and very, very lucky to be the person I am, and the age that I am, and the economic status, which isn’t lofty or anything, yeah, but it’s away from the danger zone.

What makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?

My somewhat small community that I have, that’s in LA, because it’s not difficult to find your like-minded people, who’ve got your back and I’ve got their back, and are always unquestioningly ready to support, and look after, and take care of the people that we know. It’s hard in…, I guess, in any urban sort of setting, particularly hard in Los Angeles, because it’s so disparate. And then the infrastructure is stymieing here, because it’s all to do with the car. Public transport is meager here, and it has sort of upset Europeans’ plans – who have come to live here and found it just way, way, way too difficult to navigate, especially young people.

I would say, the licensing laws are such that you can’t go out and be in a bar until you’re 21, and you can only get anywhere if you can drive. So that’s tough, but, but we do our best to have our people that we look out for, and that’s, that’s basically the answer to that question.

Have you written anything new lately?

I have, but not for the Pogues – and back when we were doing what became known to us as the ‘reunion phase’, from 2001 through till 2014 there was a meeting between Jem and Spider and Shane, our chief songwriter – with a view to seeing if there was an LP that could be made, because Shane was saying that he had been writing songs, and I’m sure he had. I never got to hear any of them. I’m not sure that Jem or Spider heard any of them, because they spent the afternoon drinking tea and that was that. They were just very polite and sensitive, and didn’t bring up the subject that was on everybody’s minds. It did not come up, and then they all went home, and that was it.

So what is your current earworm?

Well, let’s see, it’s difficult to say at the minute, because my wife puts on Christmas music as soon as November the 30th is finished with, so and it’s the same playlist, but, you know, it shuffles…

So earworms are difficult to encourage at this time of the year, but if I had one, I’d say it’s stuff that Lisa O’Neill is doing particularly, and Lankum as well. I can’t think of any particular track. I think it’s just the way that they assemble voices. And the way they assemble voices and the instruments, because there’s a plainness about how they go about it, and that they’re seemingly sort of unerring at the minute where choices are made as to harmonies. And it’s really pretty courageous kind of harmonic stuff going on, with a big kick out of them.

Are you having enough fun?

Yeah, I am. Because my youngest daughter came back home from the East Coast. She and her wife came home last night late, so they’re in the house, and it’s fun to have them around. My eldest daughter has been living with us for a while now. She’s just got a new apartment, so she’s going to be moving out after Christmas. That’s going to be difficult, but it’s fun to have her with us. It’s just fun to have other family around right now.

I get great joy out of playing with whatever iteration the Pogues happens to be at the minute, and it’s difficult without Shane – obviously we’re missing him terribly – not talking about him, it’s like a bit of an ‘elephant in the room’ thing. In a sense, he’s there in the room with us. We’re singing all his songs. Most of the material is his words and his tunes, you know, it’s great to give his songs an airing.

Do you know if Shane’s family are loving the work?

It’s hard for them. Yes. It’s hard. Yes, his wife in particular, and his sister – because they’re still grieving. It hurts they’ve lost their brother and husband, yes, and to see his associates going out, seemingly having a great time…

However, I do think that Shane would have rather enjoyed the way that his songs are being done by the people that are doing them, yes, and in the manner that we do them, and the attitude that we bring with it as well, which is inclusive and celebratory and, you know, empowering a collection of people in a room listening to stuff that’s still, very relevant. But, I acknowledge it hurts. It hurts the sister and his wife, yeah.

You can see the Pogues on Thursday, April 2 and Friday 3, at the 2026 Bluesfest – go to bluesfest.com.au.