SHANE’S FINAL GIG WITH THE POGUES

Hell's Ditch, the fifth studio album by The Pogues, was released on 1st October 1990 and was the last to feature frontman Shane MacGowan as a member. 

The record continued the group's slow departure from Irish music, giving more emphasis to rock and straight folk rock, and forsaking their earlier staples of traditional compositions almost entirely. Several of the songs have Asian themes, in sound or in content, including "Summer in Siam", "The House of Gods" and "Sayonara”. The album was produced by The Clash's Joe Strummer, who later served as a temporary replacement for MacGowan following his departure from The Pogues the following year.

Shane MacGowan had become increasingly unreliable over the months prior to this decision, made by the other band members. He failed to turn up for the opening dates of their 1990 tour of America, and prevented the band from promoting Hell's Ditch, to any great extent.