Watch Pulp perform a career-spanning ‘Tiny Desk Concert’
Pulp have made a surprise appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk, playing four classic tracks that span their entire career.
For the first three minutes, the band plays a soaring instrumental that opens into the song ‘This Is Hardcore’, originally released in 1998.
When Jarvis Cocker does sing, he sings through cupped hands. He gesticulates to many of the lyrics, the fan-favourite song stretching over seven minutes, accompanied by an intricate backing from the band.
After ‘This Is Hardcore’, Cocker was handed his acoustic guitar. “We’ll lighten the mood a bit now, I think,” he laughed
Cocker continued, “This is a song about, you know, your life can change in a matter of seconds, but you never know when it’s going to happen,” before moving into ‘Something Changed’ from the 1995 album, Different Class.
However, the band was forced to restart the song after Mark Webber hit a wrong note. “You messed up there, didn’t ya?” Cocker asked him.
After finishing the song, the band moved into ‘A Sunset’ from their new album, More. The entire band joined in as Cocker sang, “A sunset,” in the lilting chorus.
The legendary British band finished the set with ‘Acrylic Afternoons’, the oldest song they played, which was first released on the 1994 album, His ‘n’ Hers.
The synopsis shares an incredible moment from before the beginning of the set: “Just before making the short walk from our makeshift green room (a converted office) to the Tiny Desk down the hall, the band members held hands and sang, ‘This will be the very best Tiny Desk.'”
In a glowing four-and-a-half star review of the new album, Far Out wrote, “The band already had a legacy secured, but with More, they’ve added another shiny jewel to it, not just used everything that came before and tagged on a weak charm. This is another great Pulp album. It is not a comeback or a lazy return; it is simply More greatness. “
Watch the career-spanning concert below.
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