Show pick of the week
(Ted Leo/Touch and Go)
THE POGUES/TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS
Now here's a promising double bill.
New Jersey-bred indie rocker Ted Leo has been cranking out taut, politically-tinged punk tunes in the manner of The Clash, early Jam and Elvis Costello & The Attractions for nearly a decade. Leo's been on creative roll since 2003's "Hearts of Oak" and 2004's "Shake the Sheets" (both on Lookout Records). The latest CD "Living With the Living" (Touch and Go) may very well be the trio's best, featuring such melodic winners as "Who Do You Love" and "A Bottle of Buckie."
Check out www.tedleo.com, where the singer/guitarist posts incisive comments from time to time (seeking out a fan who was ejected from a club; objecting to being submitted in a Taco Bell Battle of the Bands contest without his permission).
Leo comes from an Irish-Italian family, Spin Magazine called him a "true-hearted Irishman" and "Bottle" has an Emerald Isle vibe. So opening for The Pogues makes sense.
Shane McGowan returned to the infamous band in 2001 and embarked on a successful UK reunion tour, which finally reached America in 2006. Rhino followed suit by reissuing the band's first five albums. This past summer, it was announced guitarist Philip Chevron was battling throat cancer and would not take part in the current US tour. Will McGowan be coherent in Anaheim? Has he really cut down on the booze? Go to the Mouse House and see.
Doors open at 8 p.m. Sunday, House of Blues Anaheim, Downtown Disney, $62.50-$67.50, (714) 778-BLUE.