Pulp – 6 Music Live Session Review

Building up to the release of their masterclass new album, More, Pulp are digging deep into those deep cuts, which they kept teasing last year. The Fear is still absent, but worry not, as the Jarvis Cocker-fronted group are still keen to give us more. Between a rousing performance of Acrylic Afternoons to true deep cut selections like Seconds and We Are The Boyz, Pulp prove themselves to be a band unafraid of their most experimental, out-there works. The B-sides to His ‘n’ Hers, the selection of songs from More which may not get enough time in the spotlight, all of it comes together in this, a 6 Music live session. The cornerstone of quality British music takes to the stage once more, and we are all the better for it. This 6 Music Live Session is exactly what dedicated fans were wanting – a collection of classics, mixed in with the deep cuts we drift to.  

It is easy to take for granted just how great Pulp sounds still. There is a depth to their sound which is, in part, thanks to Jarv Is… members Adam Betts, Andrew McKinney, and Emma Smith. There are some clear differences between the studio version and live appeal of Spike Island, which follows the ever-brilliant Babies. Crucial to any contemporary album release from veterans of the stage is hearing how the fresh material fits in with those essentials. Pulp’s 6 Music Live Session gives a tease of how the band may sound this summer across their live gigs. If it is even half as strong a performance as this one, the crowd is in for a treat. Shot entirely in black and white, without an audience, Pulp are given a chance to experiment slightly with the tempo and tone of these tracks, deep cuts which are unlikely to make it onto the big stage.  

We Are the Boyz and Seconds featuring here is a sincere thrill, though this may be the closest Pulp gets to offering listeners an outing of those rarities. We should never expect We Can Dance Again, though stranger things have happened with Pulp on stage. Forty Odd Years showcased those what could have been moments, The Trees in particular. So too does this 6 Music Live Session. Slow Jam sounds magnificent live, the little flickers of electronic noise from Candida Doyle, the slight Jarv Is… tinge to it, blur very well with the fundamental thrill which comes from Pulp’s best tracks. Those classic tracks embedded in this gig, performed to an empty room, need the rush of a sold-out crowd. Acrylic Afternoons sounds incredible. Like She’s a Lady and His ‘n’ Hers during those solo gigs, the 1994 classics are returning to the stage, with Cocker still more than capable of performing them to a satisfying quality. 

Those hits are embedded in the live shows and show no signs of disappearing, thankfully not. But what Pulp’s 6 Music Live Session proves is that there is an appetite for smaller performances of those deep cuts. Give us a showcase of We Love Life, a playthrough of those This is Hardcore demos. For all the advertisements of More, the hunger for more, the seasoned fan is left starving for these performances. An excellent live performance for the BBC here, where Pulp show they are not just a legacy act. With new material on the horizon, that new day once more dawning, this showcase of songs old and new is a magnificent way to reconnect with the band ahead of their live shows. Tremendous showmanship, tight musical arrangements which make use of a small but powerful Elysian Collective, Pulp’s 6 Music Live Session will kindle a fear of missing out for those without tickets to the More tour.