Pulp at 3Arena, Dublin Review

A gracefully calm crowd heads into the 3Arena in Dublin, where Pulp takes to the stage for the second time with their new album, More. For those on painkillers after the first round in Glasgow, the quieter crowd, the still up for it but not quite as boisterous collection of common people, is a blessing. So too is the return of Pulp and their ongoing tour across the UK and Ireland. They found their footing well in that kick-off show at the OVO Hydro, and now the Jarvis Cocker-fronted group looks to iron out the technical issues and figure out a sensible setlist that blurs the line between old-school hits and newly released classics. They find that line well across their intermission-featuring set, a chance for a change of clothes, some drinks at the bar, and time too for the audience to choose Dishes over 59 Lindhurst Grove.  

One of keyboardist Candida Doyle’s favourites may not make the cut, but there is plenty to love about the set Cocker and company offer. From the thrill of hearing The Fear once more, the glee from Mark Webber is clear as he sneaks the This is Hardcore rip in after a delightfully stripped-back performance of Something Changed. Pulp has evolved in a few unlikely directions. Not only are they backed by the ever-impressive Elysian Collective, half of Relaxed Muscle in Jason Buckle, and a trio of Jarv Is… members in the always exciting Adam Betts, Andrew McKinney, and Emma Smith, but the core four are making sure they are kindling a new momentum. There is a chance here for Pulp to cement themselves further as the band of outsiders they were during their first run. Spike Island proves to be an exceptional show opener, and the contemporary tracks to follow, Grown Ups, Tina, and Got to Have Love, remain crucial.  

Where Pulp may be keen to give audiences a choice in which song to perform, we can only hope they feed in the other half of More. Background Noise, Partial Eclipse, and Hymn of the North are just dying to be added. What do you drop from a set so tightly pieced together, though? Sorted for E’s and Wizz into Disco 2000 is a delightfully fast Different Class double bill, now the clapping request has been shifted to Grown Ups. Do You Remember the First Time? And Mis-Shapes prove crucial in bringing Got to Have Love into the conversation for best-of songs. Pulp’s double set is a slick piece of work, entertaining, too, as Cocker recalls their first experience playing the city, as well as sharing those always charming recollections of this song or that meaning.  

We can take solace in Grown Ups when it comes to the wishes and wants of setlist changes. Setting off for another planet, with no way back, is risky. What, then, would Pulp do should they bring back the likes of I Spy and Razzmatazz? More is about informing the future by reflecting on the past, and we can only do that by being in the present, in there, the heaving crowd who blew the roof off to request Dishes. An instrumentally tight performance and an expectedly charming evening, that is what Pulp still offers, two years on from their first Encore date. Long may it continue. Lisa O’Neill makes for an excellent opening act, too. Short, powerful, and a Bob Dylan cover within. There is More to give, and by the sounds of Acrylic Afternoons, there is even more in Pulp’s discography ready to be amplified by the fresh faces in the crowd, the new audience who have taken to More so quickly. It makes all the difference for a heartwarming show closer like A Sunset when an audience has the words nailed just four days after release.