St. Patrick's nights 1986 to 1988

The sharp eyed can see me in this grab from the 1988 video

During the mid 1980s St. Patrick's night was always spent with The Pogues...

17th March 1986
The Hammersmith Palais - this was hot and crowded. My enduring memory is the toilets being ankle-deep in piss. We hauled our way down to the front for the encore. At the end we left the Palais with steam rising from our beer-sodden and sweating bodies. I drove.

17th March 1987
Brixton Academy - I barely remember this one (I had to look it up) which suggests that someone else drove to this gig. For most Pogues gigs the music was the most important thing. On St Patricks Night it was run a very close second by the drinking.

17th March 1988
This was in a run of gigs the band played at the Town and Country Club, we went to more than one. This is my most fondly remembered of all. They had Joe Strummer and Lynval Golding and Kirsty join them... and possibly Steve Earle too? These were the shows that made it on to a DVD.

(play on YouTube)

In 1989 they played Brixton again but pretty certain I didn't go to that one. I saw them a few more times. The last time was probably the awful Finsbury Park all-dayer in 1991.