Britpop Band Pulp, fronted by Jarvis Cocker, just played two nights at the o2 Arena in London as part of their ‘You Deserve More’ tour. The band is touring their latest album, “More,” released only a week before the London shows. The new album was applauded for combining classic Pulp elements with a more mature perspective on love, life and aging. It‘s the band‘s first album in 24 years, as the album before this, “We Love Life,” was released in 2001. The band’s core members consist of Jarvis Cocker (vocals), Candida Doyle (keys), Nick Banks (drums) and Mark Webber (guitar).

“I was born to perform. It's a calling. I exist to do this," Cocker sings in Pulp’s new song “Spike Island,” from their new album. Fittingly, the band kicked off the shows with this song, celebrating their return after over two decades of not releasing any new music. “More” has hit number 1 in the UK, and Cocker proudly showed off their Number 1 Award during the show, thanking the audience and the fans for making it happen. When the show started, the frontman rose onto stage accompanied by three life-sized cardboard cut-outs, a nod to the band‘s ‘Different Class’ era when those cut-outs were featured on the album cover, during 1995’s live sets or in the “Disco 2000” music video – one of the band’s biggest hits (which was played quite early on during the set and had the whole arena getting to their feet and singing along). The show had amazing visuals, lights, confetti, a string section and even inflatable tube men, making the concert a whole spectacle and experience. The 22-song setlist featured a good mix of old classic hits such as “Common People” or “Disco 2000,” and new songs from their latest album like “Spike Island” and “Slow Jam” as well as songs from their 2001 album “We Love Life” and the 1998 album “This Is Hardcore.” Cocker even went down to the front row during “Common People,” filming a few fans with a camera oddly shaped like a pistole showcasing them on the big screen for the whole arena. This wasn’t the only time the Pulp frontman got close and personal with their fans at the barricade as he seemingly handed out teabags to fans earlier during the show.

Jarvis also conducted the crowd to sing Happy Birthday for bassist Andrew McKinny before he dedicated their next song, “Help The Aged,” to him. There was an interval during the concert, allowing the band and fans a little breather in between the setlist before the second half of the set began with an acoustic version of “Something Changed” with just the band's original members on stage. The Pulp frontman even gave a shout-out to bassist Steve Mackey, who had died in 2023. Cocker was pulling many of his infamous moves and shapes on stage, showing off what a great showman and entertainer he still is after all these years. Overall, it was an excellent show filled with a sense of 90s Nostalgia and brilliant new songs, which prove that the band is still as relevant as they used to be all these years later.