David Black: This is Hardcore, Pulp

Twelve songs about loss, disappointment, sex, revolution, lack of sex, pornography and washing up. Released in 1998, it ought to be a seminal work, but instead it is one that often goes overlooked, due mostly to the popularity of its predecessor, the decade defining Different Class. The Britpop phenomenon of the mid-nineties was dominated by the "Blur versus Oasis" debate. The jury is still out, but Pulp were arguably the eventual winner. In the three years between albums, the Britpop phenomenon came to an end with a whimper and a Spice Girl miming whilst wearing a Union Jack. At a time when we needed them most, Pulp were notable by their absence.

This is Hardcore arrived to a very different welcome. It was darker, it was anthem-less and it was not what people expected. It was what they needed. They didn’t know it. They probably still don’t.

I listened to it again and again, waiting for the rest of you to see sense. You didn’t. I began to despair. I despaired that a work of such quality was being largely ignored. I despaired that even the positive reviews were tinged with a sense of doubt. I despaired at the graffiti sprayed across posters featuring the cover art. I despaired of the entire cover art debate that seemed to me to be almost entirely literally judging a book by its cover. I despaired of the media -- why weren’t the band on TV more? I despaired of the band themselves -- why were they making the wrong choices of which tracks should be released as singles? I despaired of you -- why didn’t you like it? Eventually I despaired of myself -- was I wrong?

David Black is an actor and humorist. He has written articles, comedy sketches and scripts for Noiseless Chatter, Cult Britannia, Behind the Bike Shed, Newsrevue and, Hat Trick TV’s YouTube channel, Bad Teeth. In an act of extreme arrogance, he was forced to reinterpret The Cherry Orchard and write new Chekhov dialogue.