A show which will see Pulp perform the entirety of their new album, More, has confirmed SOAK as the opening act.
The Jarvis Cocker-fronted group has opted not to feature an opening act on the bulk of their More tour, instead performing for upwards of two-and-a-half hours. It appears this will not be the case for their Southbank Centre show, which is part of a 50-year Rough Trade Records anniversary weekend. Pulp will perform in the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday, July 18. Bridie Monds-Watson, the Irish-born singer-songwriter, will serve as the opening act for the evening. An email sent out by the Southbank Centre team has confirmed the opening act.
It reads: “We’re delighted to let you know that SOAK is opening the evening. The Irish-born singer-songwriter, otherwise known as Bridie Monds-Watson (they/them), quickly became one of Northern Ireland’s most exciting rising stars after uploading their demo of ‘Sea Creatures’ to BBC Introducing in 2012.
“Their debut album, Before We Forgot How To Dream, won the Choice Music Prize in Ireland, the Northern Ireland Music Prize and a Mercury Prize nomination. This was followed by Grim Town in 2019 and 2022’s If I Never Know You Like This Again, a love letter to indie greats.”
Pulp were confirmed as part of the Southbank Centre line-up earlier this year and will perform More in full, as well as deep cuts from their discography. The show is set to run for approximately two-and-a-half hours. A statement from the Southbank Centre regarding the show reads: “One of Britain’s most iconic bands, responsible for hits including Common People and Disco 2000, Pulp are still making waves with their latest album More – their first in 24 years.
“The songs on 2025’s More are run through the thrum of desire and the drift of relationships, the anxieties of parenthood, the sense of belonging to places and people. It’s an album about the passage of time and growing up and understanding your place in it all.
“As the lyrics from one of the songs, Farmers Market recognise, we don’t have forever, and we should hold on to what’s good. ‘Ain’t it time we started living?’ it asks at its close. ‘Ain’t it time we started feeling?’ Perhaps more than anything, the songs are an invitation to come alive. With a reunion tour in 2011, a second series of rapturously received shows across the UK, Europe and North America in 2023 and, more recently, a secret set at Glastonbury Festival, this is a show not to miss.”
The sold-out show will take place just a week after the band headline Mad Cool Festival in Madrid. Pulp will also perform in Germany and France for the first time since reforming in 2023, with a headline show scheduled for tonight (June 25) in Berlin.
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