Between making hotel room sandwiches (slapping low cholesterol butter between brown slices and using the lid as a makeshift knife), and moaning about the heat, there is plenty time to reflect on matters of musical interest. Few could have expected Pulp would eclipse their heyday in the studio and on stage during the Encore tour and follow-up shows to promote the release of More. Here we are, though, considering just that as the band play out the first in a series of European and International dates. The Basque Country is as sweet a place as any to see the continuation of what will go down as an outstanding tour in Pulp’s lengthy history. It beats Glasgow, where guitarist Mark Webber’s hardback, I’m With Pulp, Are You?, was nearly used as a projectile. The paperback is out now, though its use as a weapon is unchecked. For now. What can be checked, though, is Pulp’s quality as a tight live unit, as a group who are offering, as the title of their latest album would suggest, more.
From howling like a wolf before F.E.E.L.I.N.G. C.A.L.L.E.D. L.O.V.E. to asking security to pass out chocolates to the crowd, frontman Jarvis Cocker is in rare form here. He sounds a shade stronger than he did on the UK tour, though that may be thanks to the energy of a crowd as receptive to hits like Disco 2000 as they are to contemporary pieces like Farmer’s Market. Sitting in front of a huge Bilbao BBK Live sign is the best seat in the house. The mix for an outdoor festival will always struggle to compete with an indoor venue, but between Nick Banks’ overwhelming percussion and the sharp work delivered by Webber on Sunrise, Pulp keeps the qualities of their stage work intact and always evolving. Candida Doyle, too, is utterly crucial for those crowd-pleasing hits.
Must the band evolve to the outdoor stage? Yes. They do so with ease. The intermission is nowhere to be seen, the band bursts straight into Acrylic Afternoons as they lack the curtain which calls for a bathroom break and change of shirt. Songs which felt par for the course in previous shows, Mis-Shapes particularly, sound extraordinary here. Emma Smith, Andrew McKinney, Adam Betts, Jenny May Hogan and Relaxed Muscle member Jason Buckle are essential additions to a stripped-back lineup for festival season. No backing vocalists, no Elysian Collective, but what a collection Pulp are on stage as the festival circuit for the band begins. It ends with Common People, what could be a better end to the show? An encore featuring Wickerman and She’s a Lady, perhaps, but we surely cannot ask for more.
Pulp lays it all out on stage and then some with their Bilbao BBK Live performance. A sensational set and a brilliant example of how the band will adapt to being part of the bill. They may cut O.U. (Gone, Gone) and Something Changed but in their place are outstanding performances, booming with an energy which the band has kept up across their reunion. When it ends, if it ends (and we can only hope it does not) it is moments like Bilbao BBK Live that fans can reflect on. Pulp’s first time headlining the festival is a delight. A hits-laden set with plenty of that electricity which defines the band to this day.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
