Pulp impress at The O2
Fresh off the back of their new album, ‘More’, going number one in the Official Charts, Pulp brought their double-set spectacular to London.
Photo: Nadine Goetz
You can compare them to Blur, Oasis, Suede, or whoever you want, but Pulp cannot be pigeon-holed or held to a certain standard; their lyricism referencing British culture without restraints has solidified their spot as the crème de la crème of Britpop, and Saturday night only certified that.
Rising from under the stage alongside cardboard cutouts of classic Pulp figures, Jarvis Cocker already commanded the stage before uttering a word, breaking into the first single from their new album, Spike Island.
Despite taking a decade-long hiatus from 2001 after the release of seventh album We Love Life, releasing the single After You in 2013 with no sign of an album, and then finally returning again this year with the first track before the full album released last month, it felt like the band never really left at all. More sees Pulp develop their sound, holding onto the same lyrical genius that made them the household name they are, but announces their highly anticipated return with a hit album.
Aside from being the frontman of Pulp and the face of 90s Britpop, Jarvis has explored a solo career, as well as side projects Jarv Is – among others – and wrote the soundtrack to the BBC series This Is Going To Hurt.
He is a natural-born performer, and this was undeniably proved as he danced his way through the set, giving phenomenal performances and engaging with the audience, even throwing grapes and chocolate out to the crowd at one point.
During the first set, classic Pulp songs shine, namely F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E., Sorted For E’s & Wizz, and Help The Aged, but newer tracks Tina, Slow Jam and Farmers Market are equally as well-received and impressive. The crowd came together as orange ribbon and confetti rained down upon us during one of their most well-known tracks, Disco 2000, jumping in unison as the whole band perfectly translated the track for a live setting.
Something the band have been doing on this tour is allowing the audience to choose one song they wanted to hear; they gave us two options during the interval, and we had to shout for whichever one we wanted. This time, it was either Don’t You Want Me Anymore? or 59 Lyndhurst Grove, and the latter came out on top. It hadn’t been played live since 2012, and the audience lapped it up. Plus, it’s keyboard player Candida Doyle’s favourite song, and she finally got to play it live for the first time in thirteen years.
The second half of the set gives the first a run for its money, with the fantastic Mis-Shapes being a stand-out, as well as The Fear and Babies being momentous in their own right. New track Got To Have Love got everyone dancing — and was one of the best of the night — before the set was topped off with the song that catapulted them to fame in the 90s: Common People. Simply sublime; this is Pulp in their prime.
