The Pogues and Buddy Guy to play the Concert Hall in April
Irish punk legends and American blues titan to play Concert Hall in April
Sydney —
Legendary Irish folk-punk band The Pogues will return to Australia for the first time in 14 years to celebrate 40 years of their groundbreaking 1985 album Rum Sodomy & the Lash with two special Concert Hall performances in April. The same week, Grammy Award-winning blues master Buddy Guy will bring his pioneering guitar virtuosity to the Concert Hall.
On Sunday 5 and Monday 6 April, The Pogues will ignite the Concert Hall. Emerging from early 80s London pubs and clubs, and fronted by the inimitable Shane MacGowan, The Pogues fused Irish traditional music with the raw, raucous energy of punk, creating an album that captured an era – rebellious, romantic and gloriously infectious. Across two nights, original members Spider Stacy, Jem Finer and James Fearnley will lead the shows alongside lauded vocalists Daragh Lynch, Iona Zajac and John Francis and other special guests. The band will perform the album in full, including favourite songs such as Rainy Night in Soho, Sally MacLennane and Dirty Old Town, B-sides, extended versions and a selection of their most beloved tracks.
On Wednesday 1 April, Buddy Guy, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and eight-time Grammy Award-winner, returns to the Concert Hall, performing songs from his acclaimed new album Ain’t Done With The Blues (2025) alongside iconic hits from his extraordinary career. Born in rural Louisiana, Guy built his first two-string guitar at the age of seven and went on to become one of the most celebrated and influential blues guitarists of his generation, inspiring rock legends including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan. A pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, he received the Kennedy Centre Honour in 2012 for his lifetime contribution to American culture and performed at the White House the same year. Now at age 89, Guy remains a living link to Chicago’s halcyon days of electric blues and an American treasure.
“I’ve been playing the blues a long time, but there’s nothing like bringing it to new places and old friends. Australia’s got some real blues lovers, and I can’t wait to get back and make that guitar talk for them one more time.” - Buddy Guy
Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music, Ben Marshall, said: "Where on earth do you start when talking about The Pogues? I’m not sure I can do any better than this 2024 Pitchfork review: “The sound of Rum Sodomy & the Lash is a fever-dream of a pub session, acoustic instruments tumbling forward with piercing attack alongside electric bass, singing, and hollering that indeed seemed to issue from the bowels of County Hell.” Now, we get to raucously honour them, and the memory of Shane MacGowan, as they ignite the Opera House Concert Hall over two momentous nights.
“We’re also deeply honoured to welcome back the legendary Buddy Guy – a blues trailblazer whose fierce live performances span generations of music lovers. Slick, magnetic and impossibly cool as ever, his showmanship and searing guitar work remain electrifying every time he takes the stage."
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“The Pogues stand as the finest Celtic-oriented punk band of their era.” - Chicago Tribune
“Even to this day, Buddy Guy’s guitar playing and vocals are something of a primeval force.” - Jimmy Page