October 1982: ABC, Culture Club, Shalamar and Survivor dominate the top twenty w
hen the Pogues barrel out from the backstreets of King's Cross, a furious, pione
ering mix of punk energy, traditional melodies and the powerfully poetic songwri
ting of Shane MacGowan. Reviled by traditionalists for their frequently fast, of
ten riotous interpretations of Irish folk songs, the Pogues rose from the sweaty
chaos of backroom gigs in Camden pubs to world tours with the likes of Elvis Co
stello, U2 and Bob Dylan, and had huge commercial success with everyone's favour
ite Christmas song, Fairytale of New York .
