Pulp – Tiny Desk Concert Review 

Rumoured to have happened and now confirmed, fitting the growing Pulp collective into the famed NPR office is a masterclass in spatial awareness. The Jarvis Cocker-fronted band has grown and grown over the last two years, not just by introducing a handful of Jarv Is and Relaxed Muscle members, but also by releasing new album, More. It’s a wonderful time to be a Pulp fan, and strong material just keeps coming. Between a cover of Johnny Cash’s The Man Comes Around set for release in February next year and now a Tiny Desk concert, there’s plenty to be excited by. What happens after is to think too far into the future. For now, four stripped-back songs by a band whose acoustic B-sides were always a delight, from Razzmatazz to Joyriders, is a goldmine. This is Hardcore given the acoustic touch brings out a softer side to the song that the seedy classic always had. It just took cramming nine musicians into a corner to get it.  

All those little details which make This is Hardcore a classic, from the slight distortion to the wailing strings, it’s all intact. Seeing how the band adapts to a lack of space has more of an impact than first thought. Cocker has no microphone to hold, nowhere to throw his elbows or kick his legs, essentials of his on-stage quality. But he and the band adapt well to the stripped back tiny desk setting. This is Hardcore, like Help the Aged and F.E.E.L.I.N.G. C.A.L.L.E.D. L.O.V.E., are tests of Cocker’s vocals. He can still punctuate the calls for an encore, those higher notes are not out of reach, and you can hear it a little better without the thrill and noise of the crowd. Inevitably lighter work from Something Changed, an essential for any stripped-back performance, follows This is Hardcore. It’s a nice ballast. Loved-up work which still lingers as a striking example of romance, contrast by the loss of it, the focus on sexuality as commercial.  

It wouldn’t be a Pulp gig without a little instrumental blip, and the false start for Something Changed is one of those endearing moments, the sort of mistake that humanises the band more than anything. They’re professionals but don’t gloat about it. A Sunset follows, and it’s a marvellous showcase of how those More tours ended earlier this year. A wonderful, communal feeling where the band rallies together in hopes of a brighter future. It’s hard to knock the message, the truth spoken on those unhappy people spending more money. Wonderful work that’s not the cap for this tiny desk showcase, as Acrylic Afternoons is thankfully crammed in as the fourth and final song. Lyrical changes to His ‘n’ Hers material has been a frequent fitting of Cocker’s performances as of late. First She’s a Lady, now Acrylic Afternoons. Those changes are highlighted here.  

Improvements, almost definitely. Cocker guides the band very nicely through an instrumental rise by pushing a slider on Candida Doyle’s keyboard. It’s a wonderful moment that not only gives presence to Mark Webber on a baby grand piano but to the fantastic string work. You can strip back the instrumentals or go the other direction, as the band has done on stage for songs like Sunrise, and add new instrumental layers, the result is much the same when it comes to quality. Pulp’s Tiny Desk concert is a fantastic showcase of how the band are still keen to adapt and dissect their very best songs. Nothing is sacred when it comes to innovation, as the likes of Bob Dylan and LCD Soundsystem have found on stage time after time. New instrumental direction is the clear winner here, and for Pulp, it amplifies four of their very best songs.