Shane MacGowan plans December tour for The Pogues

Not content with giving one of his most revealing interviews in years to Peter Murphy, Shane MacGowan reunites with his fellow Pogues for shows at the Academy, Glasgow (December 13 to 14); Arena, Newcastle (16); MEN, Manchester (18); Brixton Academy, London (20 & 21); and the Point, Dublin (23).

Asked whether the dates are cast in stone, Terry Woods tells hotpress.com, "This being The Pogues we're talking about I'd say they're cast in jelly but, yes, we're planning to tour in December with the eight main members of the band."

Woods, who's been gigging recently under his own name, says it's likely that they'll have a live album in the shops to coincide.

"It's done and dusted, conversations are going on and I'm very, very hopeful it'll be out before Christmas. There's no title yet, but I'm sure some smart lad will come up with something good!"

Finally the $64,000 question – how's Shane? "He's in a very positive frame of mind lately," he enthuses, "which is great."