the universal appeal of Pulp<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\nAhead of time, Pulp had requested that audiences get to the venue early, as there would be no support act, and by the looks of things inside the venue, everybody had adhered to that request. Instead of a supporting artist, Cocker and the gang took to stage early, at around 8:20pm, performing a gig of two halves with a half-time interval that only added to the grand theatrical nature of the performance. That first half opened with Cocker emerging from a silhouette surrounded by his bandmates, erupting into More\u2019s lead single, \u2018Spike Island\u2019, which set the tone for this new era of Pulp.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, we\u2019re going to play a new one\u201d is regularly translated as \u201cThis is your opportunity to go to the bar or the bogs\u201d when it comes to groups of a certain vintage, but this is yet another way in which Pulp establish themselves as an outlier. Their new material, while rarely achieving the same rapturous reception as beloved hits like \u2018Disco 2000\u2019 or \u2018Do You Remember The First Time?\u2019, formed some of the most polished and captivating moments of the night. After all, many of the tunes included on More have been knocking around in Pulp\u2019s setlists for years, meaning that they already fit into the band\u2019s performances with ease. <\/p>\n
After beginning the show with three tracks from the new album, including the live debut of Grown Ups, Pulp launched into one of the greatest setlists a Pulp fan could possibly envision. Getting the Glasgow audience on their feet early doors with \u2018Sorted for E\u2019s and Whizz\u2019 immediately followed by \u2018Disco 2000\u2019 cultivated a pretty euphoric feeling in the room, but there was also a sense of intimacy and togetherness, which is difficult to foster in an arena-size venue. <\/p>\n
In fairness, this intimate atmosphere was helped along by Cocker\u2019s inter-song ramblings. As he made off-the-cuff remarks about Tourettes Awareness Day, Pulp\u2019s performing history in Glasgow, or the process of making More, he would sporadically throw grapes and chocolates to the crowd from the pockets of his corduroy blazer, like a 1970s geography teacher who has been pushed over the edge. <\/p>\n
An indisputable highlight of the night came during that first half, when the This Is Hardcore-era masterpiece \u2018Help The Aged\u2019 made its first live appearance since back in 2012. In his typically self-effacing way, the frontman claimed he no longer had the vocal range for the song, but it sounded pretty great from where I was standing, and the audience reaction seemed to suggest that it could\u2013or should\u2013reenter Pulp\u2019s live repertoire for good. <\/p>\n
Concluding the first half of the set with \u2018Sunrise\u2019, the band repeatedly reaffirmed their quality in crafting a captivating, theatrical, and unique live show, which puts virtually every other \u2018reunion\u2019 tour to shame. They might be the only Britpop-era band whose reunion seems to have arisen from artistic desire, rather than a big tax bill, and that authenticity and artistic drive shines through in every aspect of their live performances. <\/p>\n
As though the audience in Glasgow needed any more confirmation of that fact, the second half of the show started with a stripped-back acoustic version of \u2018Something Changed\u2019, complete with the introduction of a corduroy guitar from Cocker. <\/p>\n
Each track to feature on the setlist is worthy of an individual write-up, as each offered something entirely different from the last, diversifying the performance and changing the atmosphere of the room on a sixpence. I suppose you don\u2019t amass a performing career stretching over four decades without picking up a few tricks. <\/p>\n
Inevitably, the main portion of the gig concluded with a rousing rendition of \u2018Common People\u2019, with Cocker taking the lead, and 14,000 adoring fans performing backing vocals. However, it was a gentle encore of \u2018A Sunset\u2019 which sent those fans back out into the evening air of Glasgow. They might have started out in a backroom in Sheffield, but Pulp certainly made the Scottish city their own on a busy Saturday night. <\/p>\n
With five dates of the tour left across the UK and Ireland, coupled with various festival appearances and a North American tour on the horizon, the only question left to ask is of Pulp is, \u2018What exactly do you do for an encore?\u2019<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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