Pulp at Royal Festival Hall

Honouring the recent release of their first record in 24 years, Pulp joined Rough Trade’s 50^th Birthday celebrations at the Southbank Centre this weekend for a one-night-only full album spectacular. The band were joined on stage by the album’s lead collaborators, including songwriter and percussionist Jason Buckle and a fully fledged string section. Between playing the record’s 11 tracks in order, tonight’s show was more of a guided tour of the making of More. In a Tape Notes-esque style, Jarvis Cocker (and his comedy chops) took the audience through a rickety PowerPoint presentation sharing behind-the-scenes pictures, album artwork iterations and entertaining tales from throughout the album-making process. The images were punctuated by early demos of songs like Grown Ups and Slow Jam, as well as idea-sparking conversations with famous friends like Chilly Gonzales.

Musically uplifting and tonally unpretentious, the intimate concert was a delight for die-hard fans, who were already singing every word of More dressed in their various Pulp era t-shirts. Cocker is a generous host who is both fiercely entertaining (with his signature jittery dance moves and unorthodox microphone-holding techniques) and warm in his storytelling. From the first beat drop, he united a crowd of mothers with their teenage daughters, solo superfans, loved-up couples and friend groups in their 30s to 60s in dance, raising them to their feet on more than a few occasions, despite the assumed formality of the daunting Royal Festival Hall.

Emotional chords were also struck on numerous occasions, from a sweet dedication of Farmers Market to Cocker’s wife Kim (who was in the audience) and a touching tribute to the late Pulp bassist Steve Mackey. Raucous moments also came in a special performance of Begging for Change, a rallying cry of a song on War Child UK’s latest charity album Help(2), calling for a stand against systemic injustices.

It’s in these moments, and in the vivid narrative lyricism on More, that Pulp is seen to capture both the weight and the innate freedom of getting older. This is a group that contains multitudes, both in their varied discography and lived experiences. But at the centre of it all is a band that has stayed curious, morally sound and, most admirably, humble.

Megan Merino
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events, visit Pulp’s website here.

Watch the video for Got to Have Love here: