Willie Nelson

Founding member and rhythmic architect Andrew Ranken shaped The Pogues' Celtic punk sound from their earliest London pub shows to global success. by Paul Cashmere Andrew Ranken, founding drummer of The Pogues and a central figure in the band's formative years, has died aged 72 after a long battle with illness. The band confirmed his passing on Tuesday, describing him as the “heartbeat of The Pogues” and paying tribute to his friendship, wit and generosity of spirit. Born in Ladbroke Grove, London, in 1953, Ranken began playing drums at 14 and immersed himself in the capital's fertile late 1970s music scene. Before The Pogues, he performed with bands including Lola Cobra, The Stickers and The Operation, developing a percussive approach that combined punk urgency with an instinctive feel for traditional forms. Ranken joined the group in 1983, when the band was still known as Pogue Mahone. He replaced original drummer John Hasler and quickly became integral to the lineup assembled by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. The group had been building a reputation in London pubs and clubs for their combustible live shows, fusing Irish traditional music with punk energy. Ranken's arrival solidified the rhythmic framework that allowed that hybrid to cohere. He played on every studio album during the band's initial 1982 to 1996 run, beginning with 1984's Red Roses For Me. The record introduced The Pogues' mix of traditional songs and MacGowan originals, but it was the 1985 follow-up Rum Sodomy & The Lash that confirmed their artistic breakthrough. Ranken is credited with suggesting the album's title, remarking later that it seemed to capture the spirit of life within the band at the time. Produced by Elvis Costello, Rum Sodomy & The Lash marked a shift towards more original material, including The Sick Bed Of Cúchulainn and The Old Main Drag, alongside interpretations of Dirty Old Town and And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. Ranken's drumming throughout the album balanced ferocity with discipline, underpinning arrangements that veered from raucous to elegiac within a single set. As The Pogues' profile expanded internationally, Ranken's role remained constant. He featured on If I Should Fall From Grace With God in 1988, the album that delivered Fairytale Of New York, the enduring duet between MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl. The song reached No. 1 in Ireland and No. 2 in the UK at Christmas 1987 and has since become one of the most recognisable festive recordings of the modern era. Ranken also contributed beyond percussion. On 1989's Peace And Love he was among the band members who wrote material, underscoring that The Pogues' creative engine extended beyond MacGowan. Even as internal tensions and MacGowan's struggles destabilised the group in the early 1990s, Ranken remained a steady presence through Hell's Ditch in 1990 and Waiting For Herb in 1993, the latter recorded after MacGowan's departure and featuring Spider Stacy as frontman. The band dissolved in 1996 following the release of Pogue Mahone. In the years that followed, Ranken continued performing. He briefly played with fellow former members in The Vendettas and later appeared with projects including The Mysterious Wheels, Kippers and The Municipal Waterboard. In 2023 he fronted The Mysterious Wheels on the charity single Take Me Down To St Joe's, raising funds for St Joseph's Hospice in Hackney. The Pogues reunited in 2001 with MacGowan restored to the lineup, touring regularly across the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America until 2014. Ranken resumed his place behind the kit throughout that period, participating in anniversary tours and festival appearances that reaffirmed the band's influence on subsequent generations of folk-punk and alternative artists. In recent years The Pogues had reconvened again, with surviving members marking milestone anniversaries of Red Roses For Me and Rum Sodomy & The Lash through celebratory performances featuring guest vocalists. Ranken did not participate in the latest touring lineup, which expanded to include a new ensemble of musicians for 2025 and 2026 dates. His death follows that of several key figures in The Pogues' history, including guitarist Philip Chevron in 2013, bassist Darryl Hunt in 2022 and frontman Shane MacGowan in 2023. With Ranken's passing, another foundational chapter in the band's story closes. In their statement, The Pogues thanked Ranken for “everything, for your friendship, your wit and your generosity of spirit, and of course for the music.” They extended their thoughts to his family at what they described as a sad and difficult time. Across more than three decades of activity, Andrew Ranken's drumming anchored a body of work that bridged tradition and rebellion. His playing was central to the architecture of The Pogues' sound, a rhythmic language that carried songs from cramped London venues to international stages and into the canon of modern popular music. Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here Be the first to see NOISE11.com's newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube Visit Noise11.com Follow Noise11.com on social media: Bluesky Instagram Facebook – Comment on the news of the day X (Twitter)

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