The Pogues – Rum, Sodomy & The Lash Review

Few artists can truly withstand the impact and damage of a Christmas hit. It is a true miracle The Pogues continued in the eye of the public after their Fairytale of New York ballad. It was preceded by this, a mad swirl of folk punk joys and spirited, reality-checked explanations of the world. Their heart here is the same as it was two years later on their festive hit, but few will remember the former as much as the latter. How Rum, Sodomy & The Lash came to be is a remarkable understanding of the late Shane MacGowan as an artist and writer. Rich subtexts, Elvis Costello in the production booth and a poke at Winston Churchill with its title, the flogging and boozing heard within this piece are as raw now as they were then. Its context is still burning with relevancy and we are worse off for realising it. 

With Costello in place, there is a dedication to The Pogues’ natural and raw sound. Rum, Sodomy & The Lash is a perfect storm album – where the higher powers at play in the recording studio aligned and made for an intense and glorious set of songs. A richness is heard in the opening tones of The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn. Its lyrical tempo is almost predictable in this wry, exciting way, where the charm of the tone gives way to the onomatopoeia of the title. But it devolves from there, an incredible and focused screech through history and its impact on pub culture. The Old Main Drag feels like an average experience in London for the outsider – a kick to the teeth of anyone unprepared to deal with its hatred for slower styles of living. Rum, Sodomy & The Lash may have an energy to it which insists on adrenalin and excitement but its best moments are the splashes of reflection, the slower moments of maintaining a fearsome resentment of death.  

Move along from the powerful push against the end of times and hear the charms of Celtic folk overwhelm the album. Borderline traditional love ballads like A Pair of Brown Eyes have such an innocence to them, a masterful clash with the stories and tales The Pogues find themselves at the heart of. Rum, Sodomy & The Lash is a set of songs with a journey to each of them. A heartfelt encounter with the road and the experiences which lash, flog and beat the life out of us. But we learn from those brutal parts of life, the components of hell delivered day after day. Shining still, as Dirty Old Town maintains, is the way to continue. It all comes through with a consistent swing of storytelling charms, MacGowan backed by dependable musicians who create this fluster and joy.  

What relevance does Fairytale of New York have to this folk-punk charmer? It is in these sessions that it was allegedly written. Costello moulded a classic out of a sly bet and the rest is history. Rum, Sodomy & The Lash is dependent on and crafted by the past, and yet sounds as fresh and contemporary as can be expected for a time of political and cultural strife. Wide eyes and wilder hearts spurned on by the drink and drugs of a recording studio on the brink of disaster and yet desirable freedom such as this leads to a boom of soulful, folk-like liberation. It is music of genuine heart and soul, with enough energy and faith in the stories of the past. We learn from those and build ourselves back from the brink. An envious collection of sounds this is. Rum, Sodomy & The Lash maintains strong symbolism and stronger tales.