A coincidental continuity can be found in this Pulp appearance and their previous performance on The Jonathan Ross Show, over a decade ago. There is a nice contrast between the two purposes. Where their previous appearance was to say farewell and support the release of After You, the James Murphy-produced single, this recent showing from the Jarvis Cocker-fronted group is at the other end of the timeline. This is not goodbye, this is hello to the future and their new music. Spike Island, the lead single from upcoming album, More, was far better than expected. Cocker and company are not set to maintain the bar of quality but elevate it with their recent single. Dedicated fans will already have watched the live performance from the North American tour over and over, but this performance on The Jonathan Ross Show is the first hurdle after the starting pistol was fired on Thursday.
Spike Island comes alive. It has done before; it will do in future. The Jonathan Ross Show serves as a stop-off for the band, but it is also a test of the waters of the wider public. For long-serving fans, Spike Island is up there with the best, that is for sure. Catchy thrills and those underappreciated, Cocker-woven spills come together tremendously for the More lead single. Their live performance here is a slice of what to expect from the UK tour in June. Strip the special effects of Pulp’s live shows, the confetti cannons and charming interplay with music’s most unlikely frontman, and what remains is a tremendously tight live act. Pulp are the outsiders, the mis-shapes they had sung of all those years ago. While this may give them an edge of spontaneity, their live shows, particularly this performance, are as tight and well-presented as it gets.
Flourishing form from the Pulp band members, new and old, is what is on show for this Spike Island performance. Cocker bridges those “come alive” shouts with that same authenticity carrying the song. His performance here is of the same quality as the studio recording, but he finds a sweet spot for those spoken-word moments. The Pulp core is in fine form too, tremendous guitar work from Mark Webber which blurs the line between noticeable and unassuming, informing the song and its interpretation of that infamous gig from The Stone Roses. Newcomers to the Pulp group, particularly Andrew McKinney on bass, are an integral new addition to the reformed group.
Cocker proves he was born to perform, that he exists to fidget around the stage, throwing bony elbows and wild-eyed looks to camera. A classic of Pulp’s discography in the making, but also a tremendous example of Pulp as a live unit. The ever-present and out-there charms of counterculture whir away. They are not in opposition to The Stone Roses’ defining moment, but the story which evolved from it. Defiance in the face of what many would expect to be a life-changing moment. Spike Island highlights how any form of art, be it book or performance, can be thrown off by the wrong vibe. Charting that and pulling a hopeful experience from it, an against-the-odds attitude, is a Pulp speciality. They work their magic once more, and this performance on The Jonathan Ross Show is a tremendous taste of what they manage with their headline shows, be it with the classics or the deep cut tracks.
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