Pulp

Pulp are a rock group from Sheffield, England, formed in 1978 and active since then. Their line-up changes over the years include Jarvis Cocker, Peter Boam, Russell Senior, Peter Mansell, Tim Allcard, Candida Doyle, Magnus Doyle, Captain Sleep, Steven Havenhand, Nick Banks, Steve Mackey, Mark Andrew Webber, Leo Abrahams, Saskia Cocker, Jean Cook, Ian Dalton, Peter Dalton, Wayne Furniss, Antony Genn, Richard Hawley, David Hinkler, Simon Hinkler, David Lockwood, Michael Paramore, Jamie Pinchbeck, Jimmy Sellars, Mark Swift, Jill Taylor, Philip Thompson and Garry Wilson. The group’s core during its most prominent period consists of Jarvis Cocker, Russell Senior, Candida Doyle, Nick Banks, Steve Mackey and Mark Webber.

Style and themes

Their music is associated with alternative pop, alternative rock, art rock, britpop, chamber pop and glam rock. Pulp become closely linked with britpop in the 1990s, with Cocker often seen as one of the movement’s notable figures. Their lyrics often focus on everyday life in Britain, with references to British culture and social observation. Earlier recordings are more eclectic, drawing on pop, new wave and post-punk, while later work includes a darker direction on This Is Hardcore and a stylistic shift on We Love Life.

Early years and first releases

The band begins at The City School in Sheffield, where Cocker and Peter Dalton form the group, initially under the name Arabicus before adopting Pulp. Early rehearsals take place at Cocker’s home and include Ian Dalton. An early line-up with Cocker, Dalton, David “Fungus” Lockwood and Mark Swift plays its first public concert at Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980. In October 1981 the band records a BBC Radio 1 session for John Peel, which raises its profile locally. After several members leave for university, a revised line-up records the mini-album It, released by Red Rhino Records in 1983. That release and the single “Everybody’s Problem”/“There Was” do not bring commercial success, and the line-up then breaks up.

Fire Records era and growing profile

In the mid-1980s Cocker and Russell Senior restart the group under the name Pulp. Magnus Doyle joins on drums, Peter Mansell on bass and Tim Allcard on keyboards, before Candida Doyle replaces Allcard in 1984. After a London performance brings interest from Fire Records, the label signs the band and releases singles including “Little Girl”, “Dogs Are Everywhere” and “They Suffocate at Night”, followed by the album Freaks in 1987. During this period Cocker falls from a window and performs in a wheelchair at concerts. Nick Banks joins as drummer, and Candida Doyle becomes a permanent member. Separations is completed in the late 1980s but not released by Fire until 1992. Around the same time “My Legendary Girlfriend” and “Countdown” attract attention in the British music press. In 1991 the band plays its first concert outside the UK, in France.

Island Records, Britpop and commercial peak

Pulp then begin releasing singles through Gift, an imprint linked to Warp Records, with support from Island Records. “O.U.” appears in 1992, followed by “Babies”, and after disputes with Fire the group signs to Island, which becomes its main label through the 1990s. Singles “Razzmatazz”, “Lipgloss” and “Do You Remember the First Time?” follow in 1993, with the last becoming the band’s first UK top-40 single. These releases lead into His ’n’ Hers in 1994, which reaches the UK top ten and is nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. The band supports Blur on a US tour that year.

Their commercial peak comes in 1995 with “Common People”, which reaches number two in the UK singles chart. Pulp also step in as Glastonbury Festival headliners that year. Different Class follows, debuts at number one in the UK, wins the Mercury Music Prize and includes “Disco 2000” and “Something Changed”. Mark Webber, who had been involved with the fan club, joins as a full-time member around this time. In 1996 Cocker draws major media attention after entering the stage during Michael Jackson’s performance of “Earth Song” at the BRIT Awards; he is briefly detained by police and no charges follow. That year the compilation Countdown 1992–1983 reaches the UK top ten, and Pulp contribute “Mile End” to the film Trainspotting. They also play the V Festival before pausing public performances.

Later albums, hiatus and reunions

Russell Senior leaves during the late 1990s, and work on the next album continues slowly. This Is Hardcore appears in 1998, debuts at number one in the UK and is nominated for the Mercury Prize; it explores fame, relationships and drug use. In the same year Pulp record “Like a Friend” with Patrick Doyle for Great Expectations. We Love Life, produced by Scott Walker, is released in 2001 and becomes their final studio album for more than two decades. The band tours the UK, including dates in national parks, leaves Island in 2002 and issues the compilation Hits, which includes a new track. They also organise the Auto festival in Rotherham, where they play their final concert before a hiatus.

In 2006 His ’n’ Hers, Different Class and This Is Hardcore are reissued with additional material, alongside The Peel Sessions, a compilation of BBC recordings. The “Different Class” line-up reunites in 2011 for concerts and festival appearances in Europe and Australia, including Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds, with further shows in 2012 in North and South America and at the Royal Albert Hall. Russell Senior does not take part in some later performances. In December 2012 the band plays in Sheffield and gives audience members a download of the unreleased song “After You”, which is released more widely in 2013. A heritage plaque marking the site of the first performance is unveiled at The Leadmill in Sheffield in 2015.

Recent activity

Pulp reunite again in 2022 for concerts in 2023. Steve Mackey confirms that he does not take part in the tour and dies in March 2023. The reunion performances feature additional touring musicians Andrew McKinney, Emma Smith and Adam Betts, together with the Elysian Collective string ensemble. During these shows the band introduces “Hymn of the North”, “Background Noise”, “Spike Island”, “My Sex” and “Farmer’s Market”. In December 2024 they sign with Rough Trade Records. Their eighth studio album, More, appears in 2025 and is preceded by “Spike Island” and “Got to Have Love”. Around the same time the group performs a surprise Glastonbury set under the name Patchwork and then tours in support of the album. They also announce the EP The Man Comes Around, which includes a version of Johnny Cash’s song of the same name and other recordings from the More sessions.