Pulp's Jarvis Cocker at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Photographs by Ian Laidlaw
The last time Pulp played in Melbourne, in 2011, a feeling of temporariness surrounded the whole affair.
The Sheffield band, led by Jarvis Cocker, were back together for a one-off reunion tour. They hadn’t made music together in a decade, and they didn’t have any plans to do so. But 15 years later, as Pulp returned to Melbourne for their largest ever show in the city, the feeling of temporariness had been replaced by one of generosity.
Pulp have been back touring since 2023. I saw them that year in London’s Finsbury Park, assuming it’d be our final opportunity to catch Britpop’s wittiest, sexiest band performing live. That proved to be a false assumption: last year Pulp released their eighth album, More, the long-awaited follow-up to 2001’s We Love Life.
Miraculously, the new album – which was made after the death of Pulp’s long-serving bass player Steve Mackey – doesn’t just not suck, but it’s one of the best albums of Pulp’s long and surprising career. Three songs from More featured in the setlist at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, fitting snugly alongside favourites from the back catalogue.
But for all their perceived artiness, one thing that Pulp, and Cocker in particular, have always excelled at is delivering maximum entertainment value. And so the bulk of the Melbourne show was devoted to the most lustrous pearls from Pulp’s peak period in the mid 90s and early 00s. My friends Caitlin and Victoria had a fucking great time. Here are their highlights.
- Literally a flawless show. Jarvis’ voice is still so strong and sounds exactly like the CDs that I listened to relentlessly as a teenager.
- The man still lives to drape himself over the floor and give it all with his dancing.
- He whipped out some Cadbury Favourites from his suit pocket three quarters of the way through the show. They really would have been partially melted. Not to mention the small bunch of grapes he also took out.
- I feel guilty that I know nothing of the other band members, but they were so tight too.
- The bar ran out of red wine. Tell me you have an ageing art crowd without telling me you have an ageing art crowd.
- A generous cross section of hits, they gave the crowd what they wanted but the band were very clearly revelling in it too.
- They covered ABBA’s “The Day Before You Came” and played “Begging For Change”, their new single, which is raising money to help children living in war zones around the world. Buy/download/stream it here and rack up some plays and money.
- I really enjoyed Jarvis’ commitment to memorising the venues and dates of long past Pulp gigs in Melbourne to ask the audience what important event took place on those dates.
- Also enjoyed his concern about the time of the blood moon, launching straight into it after opening with “Sorted for E’s & Wizz”. (It wasn’t until 10:30, after the show, but was a lovely way to finish a night.)
- During the ABBA cover, he made a comment about maybe needing to turn around halfway because he might get too emotional. Big moment.
- His dancing is GREAT. “Misshapes” was really great.
- They were selling actual underwear at the merch tent.
- I fucken loved it.
Pulp performed at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, on the stolen land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, on Tuesday 3 March.
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