THE POGUES live at the Ogden Theatre Friday, October 23, 2009. Doors 7pm || Show 8pm. By demonstrating that the spirit of punk could live in traditional Irish folk music, the Pogues were one of the most radical bands of the mid-’80s. Led by Shane MacGowan the Pogues were undeniably political — not only were many of their songs explicitly in favor of working-class liberalism, but the wild, careening sound of their punk-injected folk was implicitly radical. While the band was clearly radical, they also had a wickedly warped sense of humor, which was abundantly clear on their biggest hit, the fractured Christmas carol “Fairy Tale of New York.” The group’s first three albums — Red Roses for Me, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, If I Should Fall From Grace With God — were widely praised in both Britain and America, and by 1988 they had earned substantial cult followings in both countries. Shane MacGowan, an Irish punk inspired by the Clash, formed the Pogues in 1982 after playing with the London-based punk band the Nipple Erectors, a group which was later called the Nips. MacGowan met Spider Stacy in a London tube station, where Stacy was playing a tin whistle. The two began working together, drafting former Nip Jim Fearnley to play guitar. Naming themselves Pogue Mahone — a Gaelic term meaning “kiss my ass” — the trio began playing traditional Irish tunes in London pubs and streets, eventually adding Jem Finer (banjo, guitar), Andrew David Ranken (drums) and Cait O’Riordan (bass) to make it a full band. As the group developed into a sextet, they added MacGowan’s original songs to their repertoire, and began earning a reputation as a wild, drunken and exciting live act and shortened their name to the Pogues. The original line up of Shane MacGowan, Jem Finer, Spider Stacy, James Fearnley, Darryl Hunt, Andrew Ranken, Philip Chevron and Terry Wood will take the stage at the Ogden.TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT TICKETMASTER.COM, AT ALL TICKETMASTER OUTLETS INCLUDING SELECT MACY”S STORES, SELECT FYE STORES, CHERRY CREEK SHOPPING CENTER GUEST SERVICES DESK, THE OFFICIAL VISITORS CENTER, 1600 CALIFORNIA ST., STE. 6, ANGELO”S CD”S & MORE, AND TWIST & SHOUT. TICKET CENTER HOURS MAY VARY; CONTACT RETAILER TO CONFIRM HOURS OF OPERATION. TO CHARGE TICKETS BY PHONE, CALL 1-800-745-3000