I was brought up in a folk family, steeped in folk tradition from a young age, and knew far more about the Watersons and Nic Jones by my sixth birthday than I did about Zippy and Bungle. I loved the Pogues in the 80s and I love them still. They were never a gateway for me, just an innovative, interesting group unashamed to wear their folky roots on their sleeves. Nothing wrong with that at all. Certainly not a bad thing.

I would recommend James Fearnley's Here Comes Everyone book, which tells the story of the Pogues. If nothing else, it recognises the brilliance of Jem Finer in a way that hasn't quite been done satisfactorily.