Shane MacGowan

The Berwick Street Riot

In the late 1970s, future Pogues founder and leading man Shane MacGowan worked in a record shop in Soho. I happened to be just around the corner. I had an office inside The Who’s management HQ. In the mid-1970s, I had become friendly with The Who’s crazy drummer, Keith Moon. One day, Keith and I were driving around London in my mother's tiny little car when he directed me up Wardour Street in Soho and commanded me to stop suddenly. We parked the car, and he ran into 112 Wardour Street, with me following him. This was his manager's office. Up the stairs, we went and straight into the office of Jackie Curbishley, wife of Bill Curbishley. They managed ‘The Who’. Keith asked Jackie, “Can my mate Danny have an office here?”. She looked slightly bemused and, with a wry smile, said, yes, of course, just like that. So, I was 17 years old and now had an office. I walked into it with Keith, sat down, and thought now what? I didn’t need an office, but I had one now.

A very young Danny, at my office sitting in the reception of Trinifold Management, Wardour Street, London.

I quickly realised that my being in the centre of The Who’s universe wouldn’t be bad for me. Also, being smack bang in the middle of Wardour Street (next to the Ship Pub) in Soho, London, was quite handy, too. It was rather fabulous being in the centre of Soho in the mid to late 1970s.

I mentioned that we were based next door to the Ship pub. Our office was above what is now, EL & N a pink store. That was always rammed with musicians and music people. So was the Intrepid Fox down the road. I used to see Shane in the Intrepid and we often grabbed a quick drnk together.

By 1977, the Sex Pistols changed the face of the music industry in their own sweet way. The world had gone ‘Punk’, and the epicentre of the Punk revolution seemed to be The Kings Road, Chelsea, in West London. On King's Road was a boutique called SEX, selling bondage and fetish gear. Fashionista Vivienne Westwood and her boyfriend and soon-to-be Pistols manager Malcolm McClaren owned it. In fact, this is where The Sex Pistols were formed. The name was initially intended to help promote the shop. Many now-famous people worked there, including my friend and original Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock. So, this shop, Sex, was, in a way, the spiritual and physical home of the ‘Punk Rock’ movement. So, you can imagine the outrage when it was being threatened with closure firstly by the local authorities, and then another attempt by the Police. It didn’t take long before a riot ensued. There were many street battles. Yes, the Punks were revolting!  They were joined by general protesters, music fans and members of the public, all fighting with the police. It quickly spread across London and ended up just around the corner from my office on Berwick Street market. Shane was working in the record shop and rushed out and joined in the struggle, and got properly stuck in. This crazy altercation became known as the Berwick Street Riot.

Wardour Street junction with Old Compton Street, in the 1970s and below, a shot taken a year or so ago of the same junction.

This was the same year that Shane auditioned for the band called The Nipple Erectors. This band was formed by Shanne Bradley (whom I am reliably informed, by my friend, Amanda Austin), also promoted The Sex Pistols several times at her university. At this time, Shane decided he would be known (for the time being) as Shane O'Hooligan. They played their first gig in Covent Garden, in central London.

There seemed to be many more police around in those days. In fact, there were always three standing outside the prime ministers office at all times. I took this photo in Downing Street in the 1970’s.

At the same time as this was all going on in 1977, my life as a music photographer was also moving onwards and upwards. I was doing quite a bit for The Who, I was also working with Queen, I had already worked a bit with Pink Floyd, and now I was heavily involved with Status Quo, Rory Gallagher, Dire Straits and many others. I didn’t see Shane for a few years. I went off to the USA and became Bob Dylan's official photographer, and without mobile phones or internet, it was hard to stay in touch in those days. Lots of us just lost touch.

Many years later, Shane and I re-connected in London. He had already been through the glory days of The Pogues, and when we met again, he had been thrown out of the band and he had formed his alternative band called The Popes. So, it was obvious to me that throwing Shane out of The Pogues had proven to be a rather ill-thought-out move on their part. The Pogues weren’t The Pogues without Shane and the whole world knew that. Shane told me that he was thrown out because he had fallen out of a stationary train at a station in Japan. The band said they collectively had enough of his drinking. I found it rather amusing, as Shane was always going to continue to drink and I didn’t know how anyone could stop him.

So being back with Shane after all these years was great. He was always funny, intelligent and extremely well-read. But he was not in the band. But it wasn’t long before the rest of the Pogues called and asked Shane to re-join.  At that time, Shane and I spoke about this over a long drink which started one evening around 8pm and ended at 4 am with him and I alone in a dirty little pub in North London.

Shane looking refreshed during one of our many drinks.

I was drinking water; Shane was drinking pints of Gin. He never seemed drunk, funny that! He ultimately agreed to re-join the band, and it was to be called The Reunion Tour, and Shane asked me to shoot it.  From memory the first gig on the tour was Glasgow in Scotland. I arrived at the hotel and met Shane. We sat together in a corner of the bar and slowly the band rocked up, one at a time. Nobody seemed remotely interested in me. In fact, when Shane introduced me to one member as his friend, and the Band’s new photographer, I was looked up and down sneered at and then completely ignored. After that person left the bar, Shane just said to me fuck em! There seemed to be quite a bit of tension between some of the band and Shane, but, he didn’t care at all. He thought it was funny. And proceeded to laugh like Muttley, the dog in Wacky Races (for those of you old enough to know who Muttley was).

I quietly did my thing and photographed it all, and it was for me, photographic gold and of course, music history.

I will share some of that another day!

copyright 2023 Danny Clifford