The third wheel of the Britpop era has returned with one clear purpose, more. More time, more songs, more Jarvis, More – Pulp!
Carving out their own lane in UK music history, Pulp built a legacy on indie-rock anthems that spoke to the English working-class experience.
When the band announced a new album earlier this year, the anticipation was palpable. Titled More, both the tour and the album signal an emphatic, long-awaited return.
On a balmy Saturday night in Southeast London, the band took their positions, arranged across the steps of the stage. At the very top stood the man himself—Jarvis Cocker—outlined in silhouette.
Though older now and a little shaggier, Cocker maintains his vibrant personality and performance. He bursts into action, his voice as sharp and distinctive as it was 30 years ago on their debut album, Different Class.
At one moment, he pulls a handful of grapes from one blazer pocket and chocolates from the other, tossing them into the front rows.
Set One begun with their 2025 song, ‘Spike Island’.
Jarvis declares, “I was born to perform, It’s a calling / I exist to do this, shouting and pointing”.
For the next two hours of classics, ballads, and dramas, shout and point he will, with youthful vigour and celebratory charm.
The rendition of ‘Disco 2000’ marked the first classic that got the arena on their feet.
The audience were also invited to sing a “Happy Birthday” tune for bassist Andrew McKinney – a fitting segue into ‘Help the Aged’.
The highlight of the first set came in its final two tracks, ‘This is Hardcore’ and ‘Sunrise’.
‘This is Hardcore’ opened with all the expected sleazy grandeur. Bathed in crimson light, Jarvis lounged in a brown leather armchair as the string section played its sinister opening chords.
Pulp concluded the show with a blockbuster finale featuring some of their classics: ‘Do You Remember the First Time?’, ‘Babies’, and ‘Common People’, all met with a roaring, electric atmosphere inside the arena.
All 20,000 in attendance helped turn Pulp’s second night at the O2 into a truly unforgettable spectacle.
If Pulp can carry that same energy across the rest of the country—and beyond— the More tour could well be remembered as one of the greatest of our generation.
Words by Evan Meikle
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