Who
Pulp
Where
London Hammersmith Apollo
When
29th July 2023
Price
£75.00
Who with
No-one
Position
Towards the back
Comments
My history with Pulp has been a strange one, losing a huge amount of respect for their jaw-droppingly rude decision to not play Disco 2000 at the Leeds 2000 festival! Strangely I decided to call it a night after seeing The Wannadies and did hear Common People in the distance as I was going back to my tent, but even if I had gone out of my way to see them, the frustration of this omission would have ruined everything else. I did purchase their greatest hits and admired some of their songs a lot, albeit not enough to pay quite sufficient attention when they did their initial reunion tour in 2011. But I was much more clued up when Pulp got back together this time, in particular after enjoying Jarvis playing Must I Evolve at Bluedot Festival 2019, and that moment when he walked through the crowd to the stage to kick off his set was magical. As it was a solo show, the pressure was off and a lack of Pulp hits was quite understandable, with just rare b-side Space making an appearance as the opener, which fit well into the Bluedot theme anyway. But Pulp announced their tour dates and studiously ignored the Midlands, not even playing Manchester or the East Midlands. It was infuriating and I'd again resigned myself to missing them, but when on 2nd June they announced London shows in late July for a weekend I was actually free, I knew that I had to go. Tom said no and I didn't waste my breath asking around any more, but I got tickets immediately and quite easily, making for my second London show in a row after Blur's triumph at Wembley Stadium. It cost £75, which was £87.45 after throwing all the fees in, but perhaps given how expensive shows are now anyway, bands should get a grip and stop companies like Ticketmaster profiteering when they are not adding much value, and if anything with their enforced apps are often just introducing frustration and annoyance to the process?

Also Hammersmith Apollo was a very prestigious venue and I was quite surprised that this was to be a standing show there. It's rather dully officially called Eventim Apollo, but I doubt anyone will ever call it by that name! Good and convenient London hotels have always been difficult to come by, but I'd really enjoyed staying at The Barn Hotel in Ruislip the year before, which was pretty and comfortable, as well as conveniently located both for fast tube trains and easy to drive to without having to penetrate many of the slow roads inside the M25. I also surprised myself by agreeing to go down to the office, figuring that as I was heading to London anyway that it wouldn't be as horrifyingly inconvenient as it usually is. That way the company can pay for the petrol and I figured that I could also visit Didcot Railway Centre on the Saturday morning. In the end I had a slow but only mildly infuriating drive down on the Wednesday afternoon, and only got some work done by working from my hotel room. I decided that I didn't want to go into the office and make small talk and sat out of the enforced fun social event, and my issues were compounded when on the Friday morning I attempted to work from the hotel bar but it was just too loud, and I'd realised that my headphones were no longer working on my laptop so I had no effective way to make calls except on loudspeaker. So I moved onto my next hotel in a very cute village called East Ilsley, being cheeky enough to extend my lunch break slightly and pop into Donnington Castle on the way. I was a little early to check in so sat in the bar and ordered a pint and an unnecessary dessert, before finding my rhythm and catching up on the work that I'd fallen behind on by leaving my comfortable and effective home office. The friendly barman told me that the village was a notorious internet blackspot, but by staying close to the bar I was able to secure some strong and stable internet connectivity, and it made for a much better working environment than I'd experienced before outside my house.

After I clocked off I took a wander around the village, encountering a pretty lake and church on top of a small hill, before enjoying a delicious three course meal at the pub opposite. I was also reading the Kraftwerk book I'd treated myself to but neglected to write up my gig review notes I'd intended to, although here I am just eight days after Pulp and am writing it all up now, as well as finalising my Sparks, Kraftwerk and Blur reviews, so I was behind schedule but catching up for sure. That night I fell asleep listening to the Kraftwerk Minimum/Maximum live album, as I was rather tired but couldn't bring myself to stop listening. I drove onto Didcot the next morning and my first impression was good, enjoying the cheapest petrol I'd seen outside Wolverhampton in many months and a pleasing supermarket meal deal for breakfast. I'd checked out promptly and hadn't wasted my time even glancing at the continental breakfast buffet on offer. Didcot was a short car ride away but my arrival into town was delayed by agonisingly slow temporary four way traffic lights disrupting the main roundabout into town. My phone internet was also refusing point blank to work, and I feared that the same internet blackspot that had affected East Ilsley somehow also was plunging Didcot back to the 19th century! I'd been told that the entire area had lost its internet the weekend before, so it never crossed my mind that I simply needed to turn my phone off and on again, as I ultimately did to fix the issue. I parked opposite the train station and took ages paying for parking, struggling to use passing trains Wi-Fi signals amid the lack of ticket machines that accepted card.

Before the Railway Centre I'd tried to visit the church, but despite the information to the contrary it was closed. I got a bit more food while I wandered around Didcot but struggled to find my way amid the lack of maps, street signs and Wi-Fi, and my initial calm and positive mood was quite shaken. I then moved onto Didcot Railway Centre after going through the train station, and I've got to say it was a lovely place to visit, although the internet was still pissing me off, and even when I connected to the strong Wi-Fi signal, my phone still refused to let me tag myself in. It was only at this point that I thought my phone needed a reboot, whereupon it worked perfectly. I enjoyed a lunch of sausage roll with chips and a vegan and extremely messy jaffa cake dessert to continue the gluttony. I'd neglected to bring my sun hat after the weather forecast had misled me and I'd underestimated just how much of the museum was outdoors, but it was a lovely day and my skin didn't suffer as much as it usually does. Didcot featured two working short steam train lines, one of which featured the Pendennis Castle locomotive that I'd seen visiting Tyseley a month before this. There was also the Drysllwyn Castle engine, which was the fifth Castle Class loco I'd seen in just one month! It was a lovely place and the sun came out, and if it wasn't for my camera struggling a bit and the internet trying to shaft me at every turn, it would have been a perfect day out. After leaving I drove over to the church but its doors were still slammed shut, although some randoms were outside painting it instead. Strange, and a waste of a beautiful church building if it can't even be opened on Saturday! I then did the fairly short drive to Ruislip, stopping briefly to satisfy my desire for a Biscoff McFlurry at the excellent final service station on the M40 after an initial drive through some shockingly small country lanes that apparently were the best way to get from Didcot to London. I then drove on and after a delay as their reception area was totally unattended, I managed to check in and have a shower and freshen up.

Time had ran away from me a bit but I didn't want to rush myself, and as the train strikes had been called off and I only cared about seeing Pulp, I wasn't in too much of a hurry. There was very little information online but as far as I could gather non-professional cameras were fine, and Pulp were likely to start at 9pm. I resisted reading more online as I didn't want to spoil the setlist, but at least this time my ticket was a simple PDF and not the stupid app. It's not as good as posting me a ticket to keep forever, but it's much better. I found out that Lisa O'Neill was the support act, but as it turned out I entirely missed her set. This was my third hotel in four nights, and I was a bit behind schedule but still on track. I caught up on my internet and detached my comically oversized room key to leave it behind, before changing out of my shiny new Autobahn top into my classic Furrymania 2001 t-shirt. I headed out and was listening to Pulp on my phone headphones, although my music app was playing up a bit until it updated and retrieved Pulp's catalogue. Must every software update make things worse? I ventured to the McDonald's in Ruislip so I could fill up and not be caught out when at Hammersmith, treating myself to a five Chicken Selects meal but resisting a greedy second McFlurry. I was a bit unsure if the large drink was a good idea, but I also don't like feeling parched at concerts so I think it was the right choice. It was already 7pm and doors had now opened, and in an act of staggering incompetence they'd closed the Piccadilly line at Hammersmith for engineering works. Someone should be fired for that, and I know they'd called off the strikes, but do they have to keep reminding us that we are at the mercy of their incompetence? It was a direct but slow route that had been denied to me, but in the end changing at Baker Street for the Hammersmith & City Line was probably almost as quick anyway. And there were National Rail strikes still, so although they were taking great pleasure in inconveniencing us all, it could have been worse.

But the longer journey gave me ample time to write up these lengthy pre-show notes and to listen to Pulp, although I was now later than I'd anticipated, and not quite sure where the time had slipped away to. I had enough travelling time to prepare a cheesy status update in the style of All On The Board where I namechecked as many Pulp songs as I could think of, posting it on arrival once I had a pic of the venue to accompany it. And I've got to say that Baker Street was a beautiful station and a decent place to change trains, which I've never quite appreciated before. It was a bright and pretty evening, and the light was shining gloriously on St Paul's Church just outside the venue. The Apollo wasn't as pretty as I'd always imagined, with a large flyover completely decimating the space outside the venue. I joined a long but fast moving queue of people walking in, and got through the security pretty fast too. I stopped for a few moments to admire the beautiful lobby, which was lit up in purple, but it was approaching 8.30pm and I didn't want to waste any time. As I had stalls tickets, I just went straight in, sticking two metaphorical fingers up at the "no photography or video" sign outside which was too subtle and looked permanent, so I felt was unlikely to be applicable. In any case, they'd had plenty of opportunity to pre-publicise the rules if there indeed were any. The room was already really full and I had to stand near the back, attempting to stand right at the rear barrier but a couple of twats refused to let me join them so they could save a space for a friend who'd buggered off. There was a very slight balcony overhang but the stalls were elevated and it was clear that this venue was carefully designed to allow excellent views from every "seat" in the house. It was pretty but not especially ornate, although with so many people I didn't get to see it from further forwards. I'd like to go back another time and appreciate it some more.

I strategically stood in the centre to try and reduce the volumes of twats who'd be pushing past me, and I was not tempted by beer and didn't even glimpse any merchandise store beforehand. Apart from a view of the lovely lobby and flying visit to the toilets at the back of the stalls, I didn't have the free time to enjoy the venue as planned. The stage was visible, but shortly afterwards the curtains were drawn for final preparations. It made for a pretty theatrical vibe, but I sure wasn't anticipating I'd arrive so late and miss the support completely. The curtains served a dramatic purpose as the lights went down and multiple phrases were projected onto them. It said that "this is a night you will remember for the rest of your life" and that this was the 536th concert performance by Pulp. The wordy text then explained that this performance was an encore, and that an encore happens because the crowd want more. The words then encouraged us to make some noise before saying "ok" and declaring that "this is what we do for an encore". Much as the concert flyers had proclaimed, This Is Hardcore was being quoted and seems highly relevant, and it's fascinating how what once seemed such a difficult tune is now just another classic and memorable Pulp song. But the same could be said for Beetlebum by Blur, and I'm smart enough to know that 1996-1999 were the years when Britpop got elevated to even greater heights, with 1997 representing the absolute peak, and Help The Aged being my first real glimpse into the music of Pulp at the time. The curtains opened and the band were playing in front of a backdrop of the moon, before a trapdoor opened at the top of the stage and Jarvis emerged. I didn't know this song at all but it turned out to be I Spy, and as Jarvis slowly descended the stairs from his elevated position, the yellow lights turned on to accompany his steps. It was theatrical, exciting and generally fantastic, especially for a tune I didn't know.

Naturally a freakishly large head was blocking my view for much of the show, but at least with the sloped stalls they didn't frustrate me quite as much as they usually do. I shot my first video, which captured the yellow lights being activated and great close-ups of Jarvis. He sang "the crowd gasps" and the crowd did indeed gasp, and it was quite the way to begin! I had avoided all information but was feeling pretty confident that Pulp would deliver the hits, yet I could never have predicted that Disco 2000 would be the second song! It was exciting and surprising, and I was initially recording through the viewfinder and using a little luck, before realising that no-one was enforcing any photography rules and that I was free to do as I pleased. I'd read up on Disco 2000 and Jarvis had actually played it at the 50th birthday party of the actual Deborah who'd inspired the song, and that must have been quite the momentous occasion for those who'd been there! I shot a long video and Pulp had even started the song with confetti cannons to the sides of the stage, and the crowd were bobbing around and singing. This strong start continued with Mis-Shapes, as Jarvis cheekily tossed a few grapes/sweets into the audience to try and ensure we had enough energy to continue. It's a wonderful song and had been cruelly omitted from their greatest hits as it had been a double a-side with Sorted For E's & Wizz. I'm surprised to see that the band had ceased playing it live after 1996, only reintroducing it on their first reunion tour. It's one of their best songs, and should be embraced accordingly. I shot a zoomed-in video capturing a minimal backdrop but flashing lights were building up, and Jarvis was jumping and pacing the stage. My camera lost its focus at one point before Cocker came into sharp focus, wearing his glasses and looking every inch the legendary pop star of old.

Something Changed was prefaced by a moving tribute to Steve Mackey, who'd passed away in March. He'd performed with them since 1988 but had already chosen to sit out this tour. Apart from him, Candida Doyle on keyboards had first joined Pulp in 1984, and Nick Banks had played with them since 1986! Mark Webber on guitar was the comparative newbie after joining them in 1995. Apparently Russell Senior had played with the band from 1983 to 1997 and briefly again in 2011, but Pulp aren't as iconic a group as their contemporaries, with Jarvis Cocker very much dominating their public persona. I mean everyone knows that Blur are a four piece and Oasis a five piece, but few would correctly identify how many members Pulp have. Basically there were four of them plus backing musicians, and they were a five piece before Steve passed away. But anyway, Jarvis correctly made the assertion that Something Changed is the typical Pulp song that people get married to, noting for some reason that not many couples choose This Is Hardcore! I think that this was the first time Jarvis played his guitar, and I shot a video of the song being delivered in a low key manner with a simple red backdrop. Jarvis looked smart and was dressed all in black, and although it's far down my list of favourite Pulp songs, it made for a rare serious and heartfelt moment and earned its spot amongst the big hitters. I was familiar with Pink Glove after watching it on TV footage, and Jarvis picked up a pink glove that had been thrown onstage and put it on. It was a lusty and cheeky song, and very pleasant. Apparently this was followed by Weeds and Weeds II (The Origin Of The Species), before the letters of the song were spelled out onscreen for F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. And this is where my ignorance of Pulp beyond the greatest hits is exposed a little, but I had faith that we'd get to hear what mattered, and I was enjoying the overall visual experience and performance in any case.

Before Sorted For E's & Wizz, Jarvis told us a story about attending a dodgy rave in London back in 1988, where you had to go to a random house beforehand to get given a ticket. Above him was a green laser which he parted with his hands in a manner that Jean-Michel Jarre would have found somewhat familiar. I recorded the opening and the first verse and chorus, with brief glimpses of a fuller backdrop as the band did the little loud bits on the chorus. Jarvis obviously wasn't short on banter, declaring that we were better than the Friday night crowd, and asking us how we all got here. He wondered how we'd managed it without public transport, but given that the Hammersmith & City Line was still running, it was quite possible. It was actually the last night of their UK tour and so quite the occasion, with seemingly only a trio of November shows in Mexico, Uruguay and Chile to round out the reunion. For all I know, this could be the last ever Pulp performance on UK soil, but given how much energy and enthusiasm the band showed tonight I do doubt that. If they wanted to continue, they certainly could. Jarvis spoke of how Steve's death had changed the mood, but the vibes were still enthusiastic and triumphant, just tinged with sadness. For the most part the crowd were pretty relaxed and I didn't experience any pushing nor was there much moshing, so fortunately my late arrival hadn't caused any particular issues. Next up was sleazy red lights and a foggy atmosphere as Jarvis climbed the stage to sit on an armchair, as the introduction of This Is Hardcore was delivered in a most unhurried manner. It was a moment and I recorded a blurry video of Jarvis chilling and drinking coffee before standing up, dancing robotically and delivering the opening couplet of "you are hardcore, you make me hard". Epic.

Jarvis asked us Do You Remember The First Time?, and as last night had been the first time they'd ever played Hammersmith Apollo, he had no issues remembering it. He asked how many people here were actually from Hammersmith, and it sounded like very, very few actually were. I shot a blurry video of the intro and clapping, amid purple and blue lights. It's a lovely tune, and at one point I can't recall they even had onscreen footage of mid 1990s Jarvis prancing around for a reason I can't remember. Babies straggled the line between being low-key and thrilling, with the crowd clapping enthusiastically and my video struggling even more with blurring before focusing on Jarvis singing the first verse. He again was playing guitar. I was less familiar with Sunrise but did know it, and Jarvis danced in front of an array of lights that simulated the sun, as well as lying down around here. It's not my favourite song, but they sure delivered it well, and it made for an unexpectedly strong end to the main set. The curtains were drawn and Jarvis reappeared by himself to read a few notes. I think poetry/lyrics, but I already forget. It was just him and a spotlight and I had no idea what they were playing, but the curtains opened and an updated version of the classic Pulp logo was projected behind the band as the song built up. Apparently it was called Like A Friend, and it sounded good. Next up was Underwear, as I correctly surmised after Jarvis said that we were all wearing it. My video was blurry at the start and it was backed by simple purple lights, but for such a sleazy song it's pretty sweet and moving. This may have been the point where Jarvis was dancing and looked at his hand before reacting with surprise at himself. And I really thought this was going to be the end as Jarvis announced a special guest I didn't recognise, who turned out to be Marley Mackey, Steve's son, on guitar.

And how else could they finish than with Common People? I shot a long video which obviously was the one that Facebook got to enjoy later, building up gloriously to a full video screen of supermarket style Pulp logos in the background. I don't know if it's the best ever Britpop song, but it's a wonderful one and the keyboards sounded awesome. A twat hand reappeared to doggedly block my view of Jarvis for ten seconds before vanishing again, and my video ended with Jarvis jumping in the air after competing the first chorus. There was more going on though, with the band taking it down a few notches to introduce the band, before ramping it back up again as Jarvis pointed randomly but incisively at audience members who he supposedly wanted to sleep with. It was spectacular, and Jarvis hinted beforehand at the real story being a mixture of a Greek girl and another girl he knew at college. He also proclaimed that in reality we are all just people and that there isn't really such a thing as common people anyway. That didn't stop Jarvis contradicting himself by introducing the band as "some common people" though! I really thought that would be it, but the crowd didn't budge and the lights didn't go up. I'm not sure what was going to follow, but it seemed like Pulp would be returning soon! The second encore opened with After You, which was a We Love Life era song that Pulp had finished and released in 2013. I'm glad that I'd listened to it once beforehand, as it enhanced the listening pleasure. Next up Jarvis proclaimed the oldest song of the night, and he'd underestimated the knowledge of his fan base when many understood that this meant Razzmatazz. Is it older than Babies? Well Jarvis Cocker claims it is!

I shot a super close up video that came out well, as the guitars gave off a slight Joy Division vibe and Jarvis was continuing to pull shapes. The show then hit the home run strangely with Glory Days, which may be where Jarvis tried to set off a handheld pyrotechnic device to coincide with the drums coming in. And then the show finished with the even more obscure Hymn Of The North, as Jarv sat next to Candida at keyboards at the front of the stage, and declared that this was a semi new song. As far as I can tell it's a solo song that Pulp have reappropriated for themselves but not yet recorded, but the time had crept up until 11pm and this indeed was the end of the show. Jarvis quickly reeled off a list of people he wanted to thank, and I was quick to leave once it became apparent that the show was over and Pulp were leaving the stage. I was keen to catch the tube and so failed to look back properly to see the outside of the venue beautifully lit up, which was a shame. I accepted a Pulp merchandise postcard after the briefest of glimpses at the store inside the venue and a few dodgy t-shirts outside on sale for £10, and I walked through the churchyard and struggled to get pics of the barely lit up church. To my surprise I walked right into Hammersmith tube station and easily got on a train. Either people were getting home through other means, or I now secured full advantage from standing at the back by making such a rapid and efficient departure. It was a pleasant surprise that there were two near-empty trains just sitting on the platform, but I had an enjoyable ride and was able to make all the notes that I wanted to make on my phone while I ventured back. At Baker Street I got the onward train towards Uxbridge, feeling quite lucky but after some of the shit I'd endured, I definitely feel I deserved a lucky break!

I untangled my headphones and heard a few Pulp songs, and despite the fairly late night I was keen to wake up early and beat the traffic to drive back home the next day. Once the tube line got outside I was even able to catch up on my internet and got back to the hotel around midnight. Even though there was a fan in my room to keep the temperature down, for unknown reasons I struggled to sleep anyway, although this did mean that nothing stopped me waking up early the next day. The next morning I drove back swiftly and without any drama, although the sunshine gradually gave way to appalling rain. Pulp had delivered the high quality of setlist I'd expected, although the meandering ending was unusual. It felt like they'd logically finished on Common People, but wanted to give us our moneys worth? If they'd closed with Help The Aged it would have been ideal, and also A Little Soul would have been good. Sadly both just weren't played on this tour, and had been dropped apart from a few appearances on the 2012 reunion dates. Also Trees and Party Hard wouldn't have gone amiss, but on balance if they'd closed with Help The Aged I would have considered that an effectively perfect setlist. It had felt like the encore after Common People was spontaneous, so it's a bit of a shame to learn that this was a typical thing. Although Hymn Of The North had only appeared on the setlist at their second Sheffield date, and they had indeed finished with Common People at their slightly shorter set at the Latitude Festival. I've waited a long time to see Pulp live properly and I'm very glad that they announced a date I could attend, and delivered a show offering almost all the hits that I could hope for. Given the borderline novelty factor of The Human League and the sheer self-indulgence and refusal to play the hits of Arctic Monkeys, it's near impossible to look beyond Pulp as the definitive Sheffield band. Their total blindness for the entire Midlands region when announcing tour dates aside, Pulp had delivered all I could have hoped for!
Setlist
I Spy
Disco 2000
Mis-Shapes
Something Changed
Pink Glove
Weeds
Weeds II (The Origin Of The Species)
F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.
Sorted For E's & Wizz
This Is Hardcore
Do You Remember The First Time?
Babies
Sunrise
Like A Friend
Underwear
Common People
After You
Razzmatazz
Glory Days
Hymn Of The North

Mark: 9.0/10