Glasgow songwriter John McLaughlin on For The Love of Shane MacGowan, his tribute to the punk pioneer

Across a varied career Glasgow songwriter John McLaughlin has written pop hits for acts including Westlife, McFly, 5ive, Blue, Liberty X and Sandi Thom while producing tracks for Ian McCulloch of Echo & The Bunnymen, Lulu and Marti Pellow. His band Johnny Mac & The Faithful has toured and recorded with Rod Stewart. Yet one of his biggest musical connections came when he recorded and wrote with Shane MacGowan, punk pioneer and lead singer of The Pogues.

John had approached Shane through his management to work on a tribute album to the Lisbon Lions that also featured Noel Gallagher, Frankie Miller and Clare Grogan. Eventually he made contact and Shane arranged to fly to Glasgow to record. He arrived four days late, recorded into the night, then sang at Celtic Park the next day.

Their paths continued to cross and they became friends. John’s admiration for the music of The Pogues and Shane MacGowan’s songwriting was amplified by the time they spent together. Around the time of the singer’s funeral last year, John started to develop an idea for a celebration of his life.

John McLaughlin and his 7-piece band intermingle an extended 90-minute set of classic songs from MacGowan with stories and fond memories of their times together. There’s tales from the pub and the recording studio as the band blast through songs including Poor Paddy on the Railway, Rainy Night in Soho, Body of an American and A Pair of Brown Eyes.

Shane’s wife, Victoria Clarke, went to the show when it was on in Edinburgh and said: “Shane loved working and spending time with John and would always smile fondly when John’s name came up in conversation. He said one of his proudest moments was shared with John at Celtic Park performing with the Lisbon Lions.”

I met with John at Radisson Red hotel where he often performs shows alongside local artists. He explained that the response he saw from the audience to the songs was immediate and that was something that spurred on the tour, the idea of keeping the music and lyrics going, songs that meant a lot to him in his life. You can see a clip of our conversation above.

John McLaughlin will be on stage at The Classic Grand on Friday, 12 December, performing For the Love of Shane MacGowan. The show is a tribute to his late friend and features The Pogues songs interspersed with personal stories. Tickets available here.