White City

"Oh sweet city of my dreams. Of speed and skill and schemes. Like Atlantis you just disappeared from view. And the hare upon your wire has been burnt upon the pyre. Like the black dog that once raced out from trap two ..." There's certainly a case to make for The Pogues' London songs being unfairly ignored round 'ere. But there is also a case to make for certain London songs being too deliberate. So to redress the balance a little here's the best of their London songs. A tribute to the White City stadium, which was built for the 1908 Olympics, ironically. From 1927 it was a venue for greyhound racing until its eventual demolition in 1985 when it made way for more BBC buildings. Shane mourns its passing and the way of life that seemed to be disappearing with it ...