Pulp are back, and it’s as if they never left: a quick gig review

Ian Laidlaw

The year 2000 might have been nearing three decades ago, but Pulp sure can make a crowd of 13,000 disco like it is. The Britpop legends lit up Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on a very grey Tuesday in March. For the first Australian tour in 15 years, the group did not disappoint, launching into “Sorted For E’s & Wizz”, as the crowd echoed the iconic, anthemic line,

“Oh, is this the way they say the future's meant to feel?

Or just twenty thousand people standing in a field?”

Frontman Jarvis Cocker single-handedly proved that he’s still got it. Watching Cocker move on stage is nothing short of absolutely captivating. The 62-year-old singer made a 105-minute show of belting and dancing look like light work. From start to finish, even the closest analyst wouldn’t be able to find a single moment of Cocker showing any sense of tiredness - a true frontman.

Pulp truly made this night special, with a cover of ABBA’s “The Day Before You Came” that enhanced each crowd member’s nostalgia and sentiment that comes with seeing a ‘90s band. The band carried this emotional theme on throughout the show, with Cocker dedicating the acoustic, “Something Changed”, to their late bassist, Steve Mackey, on the 3rd anniversary of his passing. 

Somewhere on the list of the most legendary closing songs a gig could possibly have is the anthem of “Common People”. Arms in the air, jumping up and down and chanting the iconic lyrics everyone knows in a crowd of thousands felt cathartic and cinematic. It’s safe to say Pulp is back, and it’s as if they never left.