26 July 2022
After almost a decade away, and a teasing cryptic Instagram post from Jarvis, it has been revealed that Pulp are planning a return to the stage in 2023.
Jarvis announced the band's latest reformation at a Guardian Live talk and Q&A held in London last night for his new memoir Good Pop, Bad Pop, with drummer Nick Banks later tweeting "Stay calm, hug your Pulp records and dream of going mental sometime in 2023".
Nick later appeared on the Toby Foster at Breakfast show on BBC Radio Sheffield, confirming plans had been underway for "a few weeks, couple of months".
There's no news as to where, when or how extensive these concerts will be, but that's enough good news for now, yeah?
30 May 2022
Only ever played live during the summer of 1999, the hitherto unreleased Pulp song Cuckoo Song has been newly recorded by Jarvis for a new charity project in aid of our feathered friends.
The brainchild of Grammy Award-winning music supervisor Randall Poster, For The Birds features more than 200 artists including Nick Cave, Beck, Mark Ronson, Damon Albarn, Karen O and Tilda Swinton. These award-winning artists all donated their talents to help spread a love for birds, with all proceeds going to the Audubon Society to raise awareness about the threats birds face and protect the places they need to live.
Cuckoo Song was one of the early candidates to appear on the album that would become We Love Life, with a demo recorded at Wessex Studios in October 1999 which sadly remains unreleased to this day. This 2022 version is therefore the first official release of the song.
Volume 1 is available now on all streaming platforms.
26 June 2021
With the legendary festival cancelled for the second year running, the BBC have once again made several classic Glastonbury performances available to view on iPlayer for a short period, including Pulp's triumphant 1995 headline set.
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Also available on iPlayer for the next few weeks is the 2018 Bargain Hunt music special featuring Jarvis and Candida.
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2 January 2021
The 2006 BBC Three documentary The Story Of Pulp's Common People is currently available on the BBC iPlayer platform until 27th January, following a recent BBC Two repeat on 29th December.
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28 September 2020
Previously unseen footage of Pulp's 2012 concert at the Royal Albert Hall is now available to watch via the Teenage Cancer Trust Unseen YouTube channel. The four songs included are This Is Hardcore, Common People, Babies and Disco 2000. The band and the charity are urging fans to donate, to help make sure every young person with cancer can get support from specialist Teenage Cancer Trust nurses or youth support teams.
To donate, text GIVE10 or GIVE20 to 70500 to donate £10 or £20, or click here to donate online.
27 June 2020
As part of this year's unique Glastonbury Experience, the BBC have made Pulp's iconic 1995 headline set available uncut for free on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds until 26 July 2020.
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13 June 2016
His 'n' Hers, Different Class, This Is Hardcore and We Love Life have been reissued on limited edition vinyl as part of HMV's "Vinyl Week".
To purchase: http://store.hmv.com/music/exclusive-vinyl
3 June 2016
Pulp frontman and radio presenter Jarvis Cocker has re-voiced a series of Sheffield tram announcements.
The singer and radio presenter recorded the clips for the city's Supertram network as part of BBC Music Day.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-36447037
20 May 2016
Jarvis Cocker has released a 7" EP of music written for new TV series Likely Stories.
The Pulp frontman wrote the music for the Neil Gaiman show, which began on Sky Arts (May 26).
Jarvis worked on the score for the series with Scott Walker percussionist Alasdair Malloy, Serafina Steer, Bas Jan, Martin Slattery (The Hours, Black Grape) and drummer Tom Skinner (Melt Yourself Down). Portishead's Adrian Utley plays synth on the 'Main Theme'.
One track features a female choir while the lyrics to another list edible fungi found in the UK. The limited 7” was released in record shops from 20th May 2016.
He describes the music on the EP as: "Four grubby tales set in all night cafes, low rent drinking dens and doctor’s surgeries. I didn't have to leave my comfort zone for this assignment."
25 October 2015
Funding for a new six-book series on the theme 'Reflections on how creative works shape lives' is currently being sort via Kickstarter. One of the proposed books is about This Is Hardcore and is described like so:
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.
For more details and to support the project visit:
Kickstarter - Arts in Entertainment: A Series About Art Impacting Life