To
many Pulp are the jewel in the crown of the Sheffield and South
Yorkshire music scene.
And
it's an accolade that Jarvis Cocker and his cohorts richly deserve.
Throughout
a career that has lasted since (largely unheralded) debut 'It' in
1983 they have managed to mix artistic credibilty with a good proportion
of commercial success.
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Jarvis
Cocker |
Although
most notable for the poppy whimsy of tracks such as "Disco 2000"
and "Common People" in the Britpop saturated mid-90's the band have
actually managed the twin feats of preceding the phenomenon and
outlasting it.
Where
many contemporaries have fallen by the wayside (Menswear anybody?)
Pulp were seen in 2002 headlining the Carling Festival and touring
a number of forests throughout the country to promote latest album
"We Love Life."
It
is this quirkiness which has garnered the lank Cocker his place
in British pop's hall of fame.
While
undoubtedly an intelligent and learned man, his reputation is decorated
with incidents such as THAT day at the Brit Awards.
They are as dyed in the wool of the city's musical fabric as
Shakespeare is embedded in GCSE curiculums |
Rory
Dollard |
Upon
seeing Michael Jackson perform his familiar Jesus-with-a nose-job
routine Jarvis treated the crowd to an impromptu jig and view of
his rear end.
By
all accounts neither Jacko, the organisers or the local constabulary
were amused. The rest of the world were.
While
it is this kind of incident that many of us know the band and their
singer best, the sheer quality of albums like era defining "A Different
Class" and "His 'n' Hers" is what should be remembered (although
Jarvis' turn as Rolf Harris on Stars In Your Eyes deserves special
mention).
To
local indie lovers in Sheffield, Pulp are ever present. Just try
and go to the Leadmill on a Saturday and not hear a Pulp song -
trust me, it's impossible. They are as dyed in the wool of the city's
musical fabric as Shakespeare is embedded in GCSE curriculums.
And
all of this while making clothes from Oxfam and NHS glasses quirkily
trendy.
Hear
Jarvis chatting to 成人快手 Radio Sheffield's Toby Foster about his sandwich
toaster!
-
Rory Dollard
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