Onsdag 7.august
Thirteen years after their last visit, Britpop icons Pulp made their grand return to Oslo as part of their ‘’This is what we do for an Encore’’ tour. This is certainly a nice catch for Øyafestivalen as they have been featuring, over the last few years, some of the best spearheading British pop bands from the 90s.
Despite the heavy rain 30 minutes before the show, the crowd gathered surprisingly early at Amfiet; a sign that this was a highly anticipated event. After a few greeting messages on screen, Jarvis Cocker slowly appeared at the back of the stage with the opening lines of I Spy. The Sheffield legends wasted no time to set the tone of the show and quickly followed through with the dancefloor anthem Disco 2000. As if it wasn’t enough to get the party stared, they spoiled the crowd with O.U. (Gone, Gone), the first live performance of this track in 12 years.
Jarvis Cocker and his bandmates continued to line up hits after hits: Something Changed (dedicated to their bassist Steve Mackey who passed away last year), Pink Gloves, Weeds, F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. and Sorted for E’s & Wizz.
Different Class is undeniably their best album, and it was well represented in the setlist, although one of the most defining moments of their career was the release of This is Hardcore, an ultra stylish, anti-Britpop album that caught the British music industry off guard. Jarvis Cocker wanted this album and its title track to move away from the expectations that Pulp would stick to the Different Class formula. On stage, This is Hardcore is majestic! A pure moment of orchestral pornography, wrapped in a Hollywood vintage pin-up movie from the 60s. This was epic!
The band continued with the fan favorites Do You Remember the First Time?, Babies and finally, Sunrise to close the main set. After a short break, they came back on stage with Like a Friend followed by the unmissable Underwear. Then came Common People, the massive hit that catapulted Pulp to the status of Britpop icons. This track is the quintessential Pulp song, an absolute romantic ode to the ‘’kitchen sink realism’’ movement that defined Jarvis Cocker’s style and trademark. Yes, we were all common people, and we loved it.
As the band were walking off stage, Jarvis noticed that they still had 5 minutes on the clock, so they decided to play Glory Days, a more obscure song from the This is Hardcore album, as an unplanned encore. Who doesn’t like a bonus? Last night, Pulp gave a masterclass on how to do a reunion tour. On stage, they are fully aware of who they are as a band, what their legacy is and what people expect from them. They served it all, and then some. Jarvis Cocker is a clever man. He knows how to take the crowd by the hand down a memory lane paved with hits, obscurities, and stories. This was a night to remember! 5.5/6
Text and photo: Olivier Fillion Boutin
