Pulp live at Brixton Academy (31 Aug & 1 Sep)

Live report of Pulp at Brixton Academy, 31 Aug & 1 Sep of 2011

Okay, so perhaps it isn’t an exact science why it seems that some bands get away with playing well into a pensioner’s age while others should’ve stopped when they were in their mid-thirties. No one would dare to tell Grace Jones to quit (for multiple reasons), though surely during some of the reunions of the past years the band in question just made a mockery out of themselves. Singing songs bound to a certain time and age, and then sing them now you are bloated and beer-bellied; often seeing “older” bands, or seeing bands return, feels kind of off. Not so with Pulp, as their return to Brixton Academy was a triumph, much like their whole comeback tour seemingly has been.

Now what are the reasons that this resurgence does work where so many others have failed? Perhaps it is because most of their songs were never about the hopes and loves and anxieties of a seventeen-year-old  in the first place(for when they hit the big time mid-Nineties they had long past that age themselves).Perhaps it is because most songs were always after the fact. About the disillusionment of something, whether it is the dole, or love, or something much dirtier than that. ‘Monday Morning’ was, par example, a Nineties take on the dole, and not written in and for that exact time. Or maybe it is because a lot of the songs are voyeuristic, instead of having the singer as the main character (and if it is the singer, it is often in a role not bound to a certain age). Perhaps it is simply because Jarvis has not evolved into a succulent piggy and has been able to remain his poise. Or because the band still delivers quality as some of the live versions outshine their recorded counterparts. Maybe it is one of these reasons, maybe it is a combination; whatever it is, it has worked for them, and the two Brixton shows are prove of that.

Now, how about those shows? The intro, yeah, too long. Some sort of laser thing that outstays its welcome after the first few minutes. After that the only way is up. Both shows start with ‘Do You Remember the First Time?’ and feature their big singles from the mid-Nineties (‘Common People’, ‘Disco 2000’, ‘Babies’, ‘Something Changed’). The rest of the setlists do differ extensively and consist not only of songs from Different Class and His ‘n Hers – the two albums that propelled them into stardom – but also from before and after that period. ‘Countdown’ they do both times and might even stem from the late Eighties, while the last song they play to close this two-night stint is a harrowing live version of ‘Wickerman’ from their last album thus far. A version oozing with showmanship, a version outshining that what was recorded by a wide margin.

There are both constants and surprises at the two concerts. Surprises in for example the setlist. Who came to these gigs on the back of hearing ‘Common People’ on the radio a few too many times might have occasionally scratched his head (though certainly everyone at one point or another must’ve done). Biggest surprise might’ve been the epic ‘Sheffield Sex City’. Propelled by a dancey synth Jarvis delivers a narration about sex in the city. This he does almost spoken word and in a sort of call and response with keyboardist Candida Doyle. If one were a betting man one also might’ve made some money on songs like ‘Have You Seen Her Lately?’, ‘Party Hard’, ‘Trees’, and ‘O.U. (Gone Gone)’. Another welcome surprise was guest guitarist Richard Hawley playing on numerous songs.

The constants, next to the singles, concern especially the band. If a band comes out of a dormant state after a decade, this is how to do it. The live versions of the songs are tight, and for example ‘Disco 2000’ gets so much support from the guitars it definitely fulfills its status as one of their more popular songs. Not only the guitars add support, also the rhythm and synths for songs like ‘Countdown’ and ‘Sheffield Sex City’ don’t miss a beat. The band show their versatility by playing a wide variety of tracks, from upbeat pop to almost American structured songs like ‘Sunrise’ or ‘The Fear’. Pulp doesn’t shy away from the quieter songs either, like ‘Live Bed Show’ or ‘Bar Italia’. Another constant, of course, is Jarvis. Jarvis jumping, moving, posing, vogueing, bantering; Jarvis is a charismatic frontman. But not only is he able to strike poses, but he also knows and feels what he is singing, whether it requires poise or humour or a more sedate delivery.

The sell-out crowd expectedly goes wild for ‘Common People’, but the anthem for students (or so Jarvis seems to insinuate himself in his introduction for it) Mis-Shapes gets an equally rapturous response. Even when songs don’t invite quite that wild a reaction one is mesmerized by the live rendition of it and Jarvis’s delivery. From humping the top sound installation during ‘This is Hardcore’ to congratulating Barry Gibbs with his birthday by singing a bit of ‘Staying Alive’ in his highest voice; Jarvis has everyone under his complete spell.

Pulp gives away a fabulous concert, and  you can hardly say that they look like a band that came out of a hiatus after a ten year dry spell. This concert is also made possible by  an eclectic back catalogue which, somehow, does exhume the Pulp aesthetic completely. It would be a shame if they hang it up, not just for nostalgia’s sake, but because the band can still deliver live, the songs have aged well, and Jarvis still puts on a fabulous show. This doesn’t look like a band who came out of hiatus for one last stint, instead they look like a grand set of musicians and performers still going strong and with plenty to say. How many bands who released their first album in 1983 can say that much?