The Libertines cover The Pogues' Fairytale of New York in tribute to Shane MacGowan

21 December 2023, 16:32 | Updated: 9 January 2024, 10:08

The Libertines' Pete Doherty and Carl Barât and Shane MacGowan. Picture: 1. Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns/Getty 2. Frans Schellekens/Redferns/Getty

By Jenny Mensah

The band posted a snippet of the Christmas classic in tribute to the late Pogues frontman.

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The Libertines have shared a cover of The Pogues' Fairytale of New York.

The Don't Look Back Into The Sun rockers shared their tribute to the legendary Pogues frontman, who sadly died on 30th November, aged 65.

Watch their performance of the single, which they played in front of an intimate crowd and shared on Instagram, below:

The Libertines and Pete Doherty sing Fairytale of New York

Earlier this week, the band shared their rehearsal of the 1987 Christmas single on Instagram, which saw Doherty sing as Carl accompanied him on vocals and played the piano. The video was captioned: "RIP Shane, this one’s for you matey x".

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A post shared by The Libertines (@thelibertines)

The cover comes a week after The Pogues reissued the classic festive track as a 7-inch single, with part of the proceeds of each sale going towards he Dublin Simon Community, a charity long supported by Shane MacGowan and his wife Victoria Mary Clarke, which aims to prevent and end homelessness.

The Pogues - Fairytale Of New York (Official Video)

Emma Kilkenny, the organisations head of fundraising and communications, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to The Pogues and Shane McGowan’s family for their generosity in creating such a special legacy for Dublin Simon Community with this release. Music is an emotional and visceral gift that can lift spirits and bring hope to people at their lowest point.

"We share the truly magical memory of Shane’s performance at the very special Christmas Busk recorded in St Patrick’s Cathedral during Covid lockdown. The Christmas Eve Busk is a beating heart at the core of Dublin Simon’s fundraising and Shane was always a very welcome and truly amazing addition to this special event."

Shane MacGowan was laid to rest on Friday (8th December) in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, after a procession on the streets of Dublin.

His funeral featured several musical tributes throughout, including a performance from Nick Cave, a reading from Johnny Depp, eulogies from his sister Siobhan and his wife Victoria and of course a performance of Fairytale of New York by Glen Hansard, Lisa O'Neill and friends, which was given a standing ovation.

Watch the stirring performance at St. Mary’s of the Rosary Church below:

Glen Hansard, Lisa O’Neill and Friends sing Fairytale of New York for Shane McGowan

It was previously reported that the Irish musician left €10,000 behind the bar for his VIP wake as one of his last wishes. However, his wife Victoria Mary Clarke has set the record straight,

Taking to X, (formerly Twitter) Clarke wrote: "I just want to say that ⁦@ShaneMacGowan⁩ did NOT make a last request to leave 10 k behind the bar, his last request was for peace and love in the world. Although we are certain that he would have approved of the beautiful funeral!"