The beat’s gone quiet. Andrew Ranken, the Pogues’ founding drummer and the man who kept the whole mad circus thundering along—passed away on February 10, 2026, at 72. Andrew was responsible for the relentless, pounding rhythms on Rum Sodomy & the Lash, If I Should Fall from Grace, and every sweaty, glorious live brawl.
Too many empty chairs at the table now. Philip Chevron (2013), Darryl Hunt (2022), the great Shane MacGowan himself (2023), and of course the tragic death of Kirsty MacColl (2000).
The stage is darker, the pints taste flatter, but the tunes? They don’t die. They stagger on, pissed and proud, forever kicking against the pricks.
Rest easy, Andrew. Thanks for the bruises, the brotherhood, and the beat that shook the world. Sláinte to the fallen Pogue Mahones—you lot are still the kings of this racket.
Shite'n'Onions 