Concert recap: Poguetry in Motion

This past Saturday evening, Broussard, Louisiana-based Cajun music band Lost Bayou Ramblers presented “Poguetry in Motion – The Songs of the Pogues” — a collaborative show featuring Pogues and Ramblers songs, the show’s name alluding to the Pogues’ 1968 extended play album Poguetry in Motion — at One Eyed Jacks. Like the Rambler’s show with Gordon Gano (of the alternative rock band, Violent Femmes) last February, English musician and sometimes Pogues singer Spider Stacy approached the band to do the collaboration.

The last time the Pogues played New Orleans was a fairly weak show at Voodoo Fest in 2009. Prior to that performance, the band had only played in New Orleans once before at Tipitina’s in June 1988. This collaboration with the Lost Bayou Ramblers enabled the Pogues to redeem their last NOLA show.

The relationship between Stacy and the Lost Bayou Ramblers began in 2010, when the musician moved to New Orleans in 2010 and fell in love with the band. Since, an infectious idea for a collaboration began brewing in Stacy’s mind and materialized on stage last weekend.

Lost Bayou Ramblers guitarist Jonny Campos’ other band, Brass Bed, from Lafayette — recently off hiatus — opened the show.The band consists Christiaan Mader (vocals/guitar); Peter Dehart (percussion/vocals); Allison Bohl Dehart (guitar/bass/vocals), whose debut with the band happened to fall on this evening, and Jonny Campos (guitar/bass/pedal steel/vocals). During this set , Campos pleasantly surprised the crowd by playing a few songs with the pedal steel guitar, which he’s had years of experience with but never played on stage.

Following Brass Bed, the Lost Bayou Ramblers performed a set of their own material, ending with “O Marie,” which Stacy joined in on at the end.

Midway through the set, Stacy announced New Orleans singer Meschiya Lake’s — of whom Stacy has been quoted as saying, “She’s [Lake] got a lion on a string where every now and then she takes it for a little walk and lets the lion express itself” — guest appearance. Lake lent her vocals to three songs — two Kirsty MacColl Pogues tunes that and an amazing version of “The Body of an American,” all of which she performed with Stacy. Clearly honored to be a part of the show, after Lake performed “Fairytale of New York” Lake exclaimed “Can you believe that just happened?!”

The evening ended with an encore performance featuring the Lost Bayou Ramblers and Stacy performing Ramblers tunes together.

View an extended gallery here.