weej wrote:

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This was brilliant, but... should have been headliners. It was a missed opportunity.

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 Headliners as far as I was concerned. After watching PULP. (twice) every subsequent act paled into insignificance.  Had I gone, I would have packed my tent last night and headed home.  

Eamonn wrote:

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Part of me worries that Pulp might decide this is the Peak Part II and the best way to sign-off, (after all remaining touring engagements for More are done). Really hope not.

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 I expect the opposite.  Wouldn't surprise me if there is another LP and big outdoor dates next year.  The band seem energised in a way they weren't back in 2012 or even a year ago. Having a couple of killer new singles helps.  No Glastonbury next year, so maybe they could do something like Forever Now, BST, Reading/Leeds, IoW, or maybe some full on stadium gigs.  Or better still something like the suede South Bank takeover.   PULP.  got prime time broadcast TV coverage last night.  Better than Casualty.

Eamonn wrote:

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I LOVED Mark taking JC's bait in Misshapes to hog the limelight and do a little guitar Dad dance during the solo. There were also some close-ups of Webbo nodding his head with what looked like such chilled enjoyment at different points.

While Emma and Richard, the absolute trojans that they are, had beaming smiles throughout and it felt like there was no way they were missing out on this no matter how knackered they were from playing the night before and presumably travelling down Saturday morning before doing another set straight after with BG!

I bet the Elyssians were proud of their musical siblings, uncles and aunties, watching on the telly.

The whole frickin' Pulp Incorporated enterprise seems to be booming, please let it blossom for a couple of more years before Jarv and Candida's pensions kicks in.

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Mark's really come into his own hasn't he? You felt that Russell and Steve were Jarvis's 'lieutenants', that he'd interact with them and lean on then, and that each of them cultivated their own stage presence that drew attention by themselves, a charisma and an aura. Mark's doing that now, he's nailed the role down for sure. And he seems to be enjoying Pulp more than ever, too - joking around with the other Pulps, sticking his hands in his pockets when he's nothing to play, moving around on the stage, enjoying those solos which punctuate key songs and bring clear focus onto him, and then it's really great seeing him really locking in and losing himself in the music, twirling around during 'Help the Aged', striking chords during 'Acrylic Afternoons', clearly relishing 'The Fear'. During 'Sunrise', at the first night of the O2 too, he lifted both his arms up in the air just as the song started, as if to say 'this is MY moment'. It stood out to me as it's not often someone other than Jarvis gets into it like that, embracing the sense of performance and stardom that comes with being a band of that size. Rock on, Mark!

He's also the OG Mis-Shape. He clearly has his own unique tastes, in music and film. Was a young fan when they emerged, progressed to running the fanclub, roadied for them, helped them out on stage, became too skilled to ignore, got asked to join. (Back in those days he looked like I'm sure many Pulp fans did, with his mop of hair and painted nails.) Then he refined and played the solo on the song! It's sweet that Jarvis turns to him and they have that little dance down that calls to mind the video 'Mis-Shapes' was Mark's first appearance on a Pulp record and I think it exemplifies a lot about him, in terms of his place within the Pulp story.

All the Pulps have so much character and so much about them - Candida obviously is as much an icon as Jarvis is, judging from the roar that greets her every time she's introduced to the crowd but also from the fact that, well, she's Candida! Nick is interesting, smart, characterful and has the toolkit to be the frontman of any band - I mean, he's got more about him than many of the frontmen who trailed in Britpop's wake. And I love what Mark brings to the performance: professionalism, proficiency, personality, but also a sense that he's really engaging with what Pulp means, too.

lipglossed wrote:

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Eamonn wrote:

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I LOVED Mark taking JC's bait in Misshapes to hog the limelight and do a little guitar Dad dance during the solo. There were also some close-ups of Webbo nodding his head with what looked like such chilled enjoyment at different points.

While Emma and Richard, the absolute trojans that they are, had beaming smiles throughout and it felt like there was no way they were missing out on this no matter how knackered they were from playing the night before and presumably travelling down Saturday morning before doing another set straight after with BG!

I bet the Elyssians were proud of their musical siblings, uncles and aunties, watching on the telly.

The whole frickin' Pulp Incorporated enterprise seems to be booming, please let it blossom for a couple of more years before Jarv and Candida's pensions kicks in.

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Mark's really come into his own hasn't he? You felt that Russell and Steve were Jarvis's 'lieutenants', that he'd interact with them and lean on then, and that each of them cultivated their own stage presence that drew attention by themselves, a charisma and an aura. Mark's doing that now, he's nailed the role down for sure. And he seems to be enjoying Pulp more than ever, too - joking around with the other Pulps, sticking his hands in his pockets when he's nothing to play, moving around on the stage, enjoying those solos which punctuate key songs and bring clear focus onto him, and then it's really great seeing him really locking in and losing himself in the music, twirling around during 'Help the Aged', striking chords during 'Acrylic Afternoons', clearly relishing 'The Fear'. During 'Sunrise', at the first night of the O2 too, he lifted both his arms up in the air just as the song started, as if to say 'this is MY moment'. It stood out to me as it's not often someone other than Jarvis gets into it like that, embracing the sense of performance and stardom that comes with being a band of that size. Rock on, Mark!

He's also the OG Mis-Shape. He clearly has his own unique tastes, in music and film. Was a young fan when they emerged, progressed to running the fanclub, roadied for them, helped them out on stage, became too skilled to ignore, got asked to join. (Back in those days he looked like I'm sure many Pulp fans did, with his mop of hair and painted nails.) Then he refined and played the solo on the song! It's sweet that Jarvis turns to him and they have that little dance down that calls to mind the video 'Mis-Shapes' was Mark's first appearance on a Pulp record and I think it exemplifies a lot about him, in terms of his place within the Pulp story.

All the Pulps have so much character and so much about them - Candida obviously is as much an icon as Jarvis is, judging from the roar that greets her every time she's introduced to the crowd but also from the fact that, well, she's Candida! Nick is interesting, smart, characterful and has the toolkit to be the frontman of any band - I mean, he's got more about him than many of the frontmen who trailed in Britpop's wake. And I love what Mark brings to the performance: professionalism, proficiency, personality, but also a sense that he's really engaging with what Pulp means, too.

-- Edited by lipglossed on Sunday 29th of June 2025 02:56:35 PM

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 I've been wondering if the expansion of the band has really helped Mark's confidence. Until that happened, he was always the most recent and youngest member of the band. Now he is one of the original 4, with loads of extra people added on.

I'm not familiar with Glastonbury, this is a very british tradition isn't it

3 observations:

- Some people hold a giant flag for a day and watch gigs like that. And some people pay a lot of money to hear music and see only those flags all day behind them ! Also, is there a message behind those flags ? 
- First time i've seen Jarvis with a cordless mic, and that is weird ! it's like something is missing
- Jarvis sounded a bit tired

- Bonus observation : I dont think ive ever seen Jarvis wear a cap, and he's got apparently "stage shoes" and "offstage shoes" 

Thanx again Pip, it's perfect.