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Good Pop, Bad Pop — Jarvis Cocker’s lofty legacy

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Ludovic Hunter-Tilney

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

In the 1980s, a tall young man in glasses and second-hand clothing was a common sight at jumble sales in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. He roamed among the used knick-knacks with a black dustbin bag, snapping up unconsidered trifles: bright polyester shirts, lurid ties, tweed jackets, plastic novelties.

A hoarder’s proportion of these cut-price hunter-gathering expeditions ended up collecting dust in Jarvis Cocker’s loft, joined by other flotsam and jetsam from the Pulp frontman’s life. It is “a self-curated creative archive”, he states grandly while inspecting a packet of chewing gum that he has kept for 20 years.

Good Pop, Bad Pop is a tour through the contents of Cocker’s loft. Our visit to his personal junkyard is prompted by an unspecified requirement on the 58-year-old’s part to sort through the mementoes and work out what to throw away or keep. (He has no idea why the gum is there: it gets binned.)

The result is a droll, jumble sale-like memoir of the formation of a gloriously unlikely British rock star. The anecdotes triggered by each objet trouvé provide a pick-and-mix account of his band Pulp’s rise to glory as one of Britpop’s Big Three alongside Blur and Oasis in the 1990s.

Of that triumvirate, Cocker and his Pulp bandmates were the hardest to pin down. They were northern, like Oasis, but also had art-school links, like Blur. They were old hands, not newcomers, having toiled for years in indie obscurity before breaking through. Cocker was in his thirties in 1995 when they had their first hit single with “Common People” , an effervescent anthem that managed to distil the messy clutter of British life — class, inequality, hypocrisy, sex, wit, resentment — into six perfect minutes of pop music.

He wrote (and still writes) clever, funny lyrics whose cleverness and funniness partly lay in disguising their seriousness. His arch stage persona conveyed a knowing approach to fame: the superior knowledge of its frivolity, and also the undignified knowledge that he wanted it for himself.

This ambivalence feeds into the concept behind Good Pop, Bad Pop ’s title. What Cocker calls “Good Pop” is represented by the Top 40 singles charts in which the mysterious diktats of popular will are democratically revealed by the latest hits.

Meanwhile, “Bad Pop” is symbolised by the discovery in his loft of a cardboard facsimile of Margaret Thatcher’s blue handbag, sold as a joke item during her first victorious general election campaign in 1979. It is meant to have something to do with using the techniques of popular culture to manipulate public opinion — but Cocker loses interest in his slender argument. It gets sidelined, and the Thatcher bag is given the heave-ho.

His book is better treated as the episodic portrait of an agile, autodidact’s mind, with laugh-out-loud passages of comedy and stylish illustrations. Underpinning the random array of items (flyers, old Marmite jars, his first jumble-sale shirt, a Lemsip sachet) is the story of how he made himself into who he is, his acquisition of a personal style and outlook.

A crucial document is an exercise book that contains his manifesto for how Pulp should look, written after he forms the band at school in 1978. Drainpipe trousers, pointy boots, “rancid” ties: Cocker’s charity-shop chic, a life-long look, was sketched out by his teenage self.

The exercise book also has punk-inspired braggadocio about how Pulp would smash the system. Their first gig in the school hall provides a corrective. Cocker wears floral red trousers and a lime-green top made by his sister on a sewing machine. Pyrotechnics provided by a chemistry teacher operating a Bunsen burner prove a damp squib. Crushing embarrassment ensues. Like the building of Rome, another city of seven hills, Sheffield was not to be conquered in a day.

Cocker’s hometown, formerly the “Steel City” of Victorian manufacturing might, underwent a steep period of decline during the 1980s, accelerated by Thatcher’s programme of deindustrialisation. Cocker writes about Sheffield warmly in Good Pop, Bad Pop , but he depicts it as a backwater rather than one of England’s top music cities.

Pulp, in his telling, are perennial outsiders, recording their first songs in a cheap home studio whose owner’s wife insists on having a CCTV in the bedroom to make sure the musicians do not get up to any nonsense. A break comes when Cocker accosts the BBC DJ John Peel with a cassette tape of their songs, which leads to a national radio appearance. But then the door swings shut again.

Cocker turns Pulp’s wilderness years into an entertaining fable of persistence and self-faith. We do not reach their Britpop breakthrough in the 1990s. His semi-memoir ends on a mock-epic note, with his hospitalisation in 1985 after falling from a window ledge while trying to impress a girl, like a low-budget version of Bob Dylan’s storied motorcycle accident in 1966. He has kept her get-well card to him, which bears the arch message: “Hang in there Jarvis.” Hopefully we will not have to hang around long before his next trip to the loft.

Good Pop, Bad Pop: An Inventory by Jarvis Cocker Jonathan Cape, £20, 368 pages

Ludovic Hunter-Tilney is the FT’s pop critic

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Good Pop, Bad Pop: The Sunday Times bestselling hit from Jarvis Cocker Hardcover – 26 May 2022

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**AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4** **THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER** What if the things we keep hidden say more about us than those we put on display? We all have a random collection of the things that made us - photos, tickets, clothes, souvenirs, stuffed in a box, packed in a suitcase, crammed into a drawer. When Jarvis Cocker starts clearing out his loft, he finds a jumble of objects that catalogue his story and ask him some awkward questions: Who do you think you are? Are clothes important? Why are there so many pairs of broken glasses up here? From a Gold Star polycotton shirt to a pack of Wrigley's Extra, from his teenage attempts to write songs to the Sexy Laughs Fantastic Dirty Joke Book, this is the hard evidence of Jarvis's unique life, Pulp, 20th century pop culture, the good times and the mistakes he'd rather forget. And this accumulated debris of a lifetime reveals his creative process - writing and musicianship, performance and ambition, style and stagecraft. This is not a life story. It's a loft story. ' Rummage through its pages - through the plastic and nylon, the tin and vinyl - and it's real gold, its shirts second-hand, of course, but its storytelling first class' Sunday Times **A DAILY TELEGRAPH BEST 50 BOOKS OF 2022**

• Print length 368 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Jonathan Cape
• Publication date 26 May 2022
• Dimensions 16.7 x 3.5 x 24.3 cm
• ISBN-10 1787330567
• ISBN-13 978-1787330566
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jonathan Cape; 1st edition (26 May 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787330567
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787330566
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.7 x 3.5 x 24.3 cm
• 17 in Popular Songbooks
• 251 in Popular Music
• 346 in Rock & Pop Musician Biographies

About the author

Jarvis cocker.

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Customers find the book enjoyable, entertaining, and witty. They also find the insights insightful, compelling, and interesting. Readers describe the tales from his life as vivid and engaging. They describe the author as a genius and excellent. They appreciate the nicely designed book with pictures scattered throughout.

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Customers find the book fun, intriguing, and engaging. They appreciate the witty and evocative life stories. Readers also mention the book is well-written.

"...He does this in such a naturalistic and uncontrived way. A truly great Briton who enhances our national fabric." Read more

"...However, this book sounded intriguing : Jarvis Cocker, the front-man of Pulp, is clearing out his loft and deciding which items he should keep and..." Read more

"...is a natural raconteur and the tales from his life are vivid and engaging , with the added twist of links to things found during a clear out...." Read more

"...For fans of Pulp, or pop, an absolute pleasure to read . A great place to escape to for a few hours as yes, they ARE still running the world." Read more

Customers find the book insightful, funny, and interesting. They say the objects are fascinating and informative from the first page. Readers also describe the author as wise, witty, and talented.

"...He does this in such a naturalistic and uncontrived way . A truly great Briton who enhances our national fabric." Read more

"...these items, from childhood to the pre-fame Pulp, and it becomes strangely fascinating ...." Read more

"Wise, witty, talented and beguiling . But enough about me, what about my almost contemporary Jarvis and his book?..." Read more

"...I know the little shops, the church, the dentists, the teachers... Interesting , informative and witty, and anyone from Sheffield is bound to have a..." Read more

Customers find the tales from the author's life vivid and engaging. They also describe the book as an innovative and refreshing different style of biography. Readers mention the book is a great way to learn about his past and how he became famous.

"...Jarvis is a natural raconteur and the tales from his life are vivid and engaging, with the added twist of links to things found during a clear..." Read more

"...An innovative and refreshing different style of biography " Read more

"If you love Jarvis you will love this book. A great way to learn about his past and how he became famous through what he finds in his attic." Read more

"not a real page turner, some interesting tales but very slow, but he would like that." Read more

Customers find the author's talent to be genius. They also say the book is excellent and elegiac.

"Wise, witty, talented and beguiling. But enough about me, what about my almost contemporary Jarvis and his book?..." Read more

"...Poignant, funny, warm, elegiac perfection . A cornucopia of Cocker. Marvellous." Read more

"...70's/80's you will so relate to these little gems of nostalgia , Jarvis is a genius ! Read & enjoy !" Read more

" Excellent work from Jarvis . Candid and funny" Read more

Customers find the book nicely designed with pictures scattered throughout.

"...The book is also really nicely designed , with pictures scattered throughout of each item he finds, and a few layout tweaks to keep things..." Read more

"...Silky smooth dust jacket, lovely thick pages and beautiful layouts and photos . This was a pleasure to read, like sitting with a friend...." Read more

"...has a big rip in it which isn’t really acceptable when it’s a beautifully printed and put-together book...." Read more

"Just gorgeous ..." Read more

Customers find the book funny and heartwarming. They say it brings back many memories of Sheffield.

"...book .. read by Jarvis .. enjoyed every minute & it brought back many memories of Sheffield .. hoping for another book to follow on from where this..." Read more

"...Even if you aren’t a big Pulp fan this is a great read. A superb slice of English nostalgia for kids of the 70s/80s/90s." Read more

"Light hearted & nostalgic ..." Read more

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Jarvis Cocker Announces Memoir Good Pop, Bad Pop

Jarvis Cocker will make his nonfiction debut in 2022 with Good Pop, Bad Pop , a memoir of sorts premised on a loft clearout that prompts the Pulp legend to reflect on “20th century pop culture, the good times, and the mistakes he’d rather forget,” according to the book’s description . This “accumulated debris,” the description adds, sheds light on Cocker’s “writing and musicianship, performance and ambition, style and stagecraft.” It’s out in the United Kingdom on Penguin’s Vintage Digital imprint on May 26, 2022.

In 2017, Cocker was working on a different book for another Penguin imprint, Jonathan Cape. At the time, publishing director Michal Shavit said the book would explore “the subject of creativity and how to quietly make amazing things happen in a world of noise.” Cocker published the lyric collection Mother Brother Lover in 2011.

Today, Cocker appears on a new song released with Riton  and Gucci Soundsystem called “ Let’s Stick Around .” Its release coincides with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), and it’s billed as “the world's first sustainable banger.” Listen below.

In 2017, Cocker released the album Room 29 with Chilly Gonzales. Since then, he has occasionally toured his Jarv Is... project, which released its debut album, Beyond the Pale , last year. Cocker also recently shared Chansons d’Ennui Tip Top .

Read “ Jarvis Cocker on the Music of His Life ” and Pitchfork’s Sunday Review of Different Class .

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An Evening with Jarvis Cocker (12A)

Thursday 14 dec, an evening with jarvis cocker.

Join legendary musician and broadcaster Jarvis Cocker live in conversation with Neil on stage discussing his book Good Pop, Bad Pop.

Jarvis will be talking to Neil about his unique life, Pulp, 20th century pop culture, the good times and the mistakes he’d rather forget.

Good Pop, Bad Pop asks whether the things we keep hidden say more about us than those we put on display. When Jarvis started clearing out his loft, he found a jumble of objects that catalogue his story and provoked some awkward questions.  

Jarvis takes us through the accumulated debris of a lifetime for the first time, revealing his creative process – writing and musicianship, performance and ambition, style and stagecraft. There'll be slides, objects on show from Jarvis' book and then you'll have the opportunity to have Jarvis sign your book, or one other item that you have brought.

The evening will close with a screening of the film - Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets (12A - 90mins)

Tickets to hear Jarvis Cocker talk about his book, Good Pop Bad Pop, are available from the Riverside, online or in person, priced £30 and includes a copy of the book presented and signed by Jarvis on the day. One further ticket may be purchased for £17.50 (without the book)

TICKETS ON SALE FROM 8:30PM ON MONDAY 23RD OCTOBER

Programme Type: Live Show On Stage

Cast: Jarvis Cocker talking to Neil McGlone

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 180 minutes

Book Your Seat

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• Published: 6 June 2023
• ISBN: 9781784707910
• Imprint: Vintage
• Format: Paperback
• RRP: $30.00

Good Pop, Bad Pop

The Sunday Times bestselling hit from Jarvis Cocker

• Jarvis Cocker

The funny, revealing, highly original and Sunday Times bestselling memoir from Jarvis Cocker

The Sunday Times bestselling hit memoir from Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker.

'It's real gold... its storytelling first class' Sunday Times

What if the things we keep hidden say more about us than those we put on display?

We all have a random collection of the things that made us - photos, tickets, clothes, souvenirs, stuffed in a box, packed in a suitcase, crammed into a drawer. When Jarvis Cocker starts clearing out his loft, he finds a jumble of objects that catalogue his story and ask him some awkward questions:

Who do you think you are?

Are clothes important?

Why are there so many pairs of broken glasses up here?

From a Gold Star polycotton shirt to a pack of Wrigley's Extra, from his teenage attempts to write songs to the Sexy Laughs Fantastic Dirty Joke Book , this is the hard evidence of Jarvis's unique life, Pulp, 20th century pop culture, the good times and the mistakes he'd rather forget.

This is not a life story. It's a loft story.

'Nostalgic, playful and beautifully designed' Daily Mail

'Brilliant...lurid, entertaining' Daily Telegraph

'Terrific... Very funny' Guardian

* A Book of the Year in the Daily Telegraph , Financial Times , Daily Mail and Uncut *

Praise for Good Pop, Bad Pop

Incredibly entertaining... a trip through the things that have made him who he is. Evening Standard, *Books to Look Out For 2022*

Poignant in a subtle, understated way; Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time for the age of the Ford Cortina... This book is about a very normal childhood and the everyday detritus it left behind. Common people indeed. Times

Brilliant... accessible, pithy, lurid, entertaining, even laugh-out-loud funny ... we can only hope that Cocker has enough tat for a second volume. Telegraph

Rummage through its pages - through the plastic and nylon, the tin and vinyl - and it's real gold, its shirts second-hand, of course, but its storytelling first class. Sunday Times

Brilliant ... Good Pop, Bad Pop is more than anyone dared hope for i

Absolutely fabulous : at once very witty, self-depreciating and moving. Evening Standard

Thoughtful and very funny... terrific The Guardian

Engaging and evocative. He [Cocker] paints a vividly drab picture of the north of England under Thatcherism. And his book is beautiful to look at , too, set out like pop art. Daily Express

Like a pop culture Proust... a testament to just how rich this junk is that Cocker can weave such a compelling take. Record Collector

Insightful and delightful. Hi-Fi Choice

Good Pop, Bad Pop ... pulses with the thrilling energy of adolescence and early adulthood... Cocker uses his objects to tell real stories about the past, leaving in the dirt and disappointment around the moments of excitement. Prospect

With laugh-out-loud passages of comedy and stylish illustrations... [this] is the story of how he [Cocker] made himself into who he is, his acquisition of a personal style and outlook... Hopefully we will not have to hang around long before his next trip to the loft. Financial Times

Like little madeleines, each relic is offered up to the reader in the intimate, confiding voice familiar from Cocker's lyrics. Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2022*

Good Pop, Bad Pop is a joy. Choice

Good Pop, Bad Pop shows how he mapped out Pulp's path to glory at jumble sales and sparsely attended 1980s gigs... A winning formula on the page. Uncut, *Book of the Year*

Extremely funny and almost over-stuffed with insights about the state of pop and the nature of creativity. Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year*

An entertaining quasi-memoir based on decluttering his loft. Financial Times, *Books of the Year*

[A] nostalgic, playful, and beautifully designed book. Daily Mail, *Christmas Gift Guide 2022*

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Jarvis cocker in conversation: good pop, bad pop and book signing.

Join legendary musician and broadcaster Jarvis Cocker live in conversation to celebrate the publication of his highly regarded new book Good Pop, Bad Pop.

Jarvis will be discussing his unique life, Pulp, 20th century pop culture, the good times and the mistakes he’d rather forget.

So please join them. Proceeds in support of Ron’s Place in Birkennhead, of which Jarvis is Patron.

We all have a random collection of the things that made us – photos, tickets, clothes, souvenirs, stuffed in a box, packed in a suitcase, or crammed in a drawer. When Jarvis Cocker cleared out his loft, he found a jumble of objects that catalogued his story and asked him some awkward questions. Now Jarvis takes us through the accumulated debris of a lifetime, revealing his creative process – writing and musicianship, performance and ambition, style and stagecraft.

Good Pop, Bad Pop asks whether the things we keep hidden say more about us than those we put on display.

Jarvis will be signing books after the show.

Main Photo: Tom Jamieson Lion Photo: Martin Wallace

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Brilliant... accessible, pithy, lurid, entertaining, even laugh-out-loud funny ... we can only hope that Cocker has enough tat for a second volume.

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Jarvis Cocker (born September 19, 1963) is the quirky and almost cultish frontman of Britpop band Pulp who has also released a string of albums as a solo artist, hailing from Sheffield, England, UK.

Born and raised in Sheffield, England by his single mother alongside sister Saskia, this female company would come to heavily influence Jarvis Cocker’s future lyricism. At the age of 15, whilst studying at The City School, now known as the Outwood Academy City, Cocker formed his first band Arabacus Pulp, named after something seen in economics class. After dropping the “Arabacus” from the moniker, Pulp recorded their first Peel Session in 1981 however failed to raise their profile despite the early albums “It” in 1984 and “Freaks” in 1986. Following the releases Jarvis and bassist Steve Mackey moved to London and began studying at the revered St. Martins College whilst continuing to tour and record.

Adopting rave and acid house influences popular at the time, Pulp’s third album “Separations” catapulted Pulp to British notoriety with the success of the single “My Legendary Girlfriend”. The single epitomised Jarvis’ wit, sophistication and charm and was later award Single of the Week by NME. Following the album’s release Pulp signed with Gift Records in 1992 and enjoyed their greatest success with the album “His ’n’ Hers”, the smash hit single “Common People” and its accompanying album “Different Class”. This success afforded Cocker the luxury of celebrity status and he made regular appearances on TV and radio promoting his wacky and wonderful personality. Two more Pulp studio albums “This is Hardcore” in 1998 and “We Love Life” in 2001 followed before the band ultimately took a hiatus.

Cocker subsequently moved to Paris, France with his wife and began collaborating with former-Fat Trucker member Jason Buckie and Pulp touring guitarist Richard Hawley in the electro-pop outfit Relaxed Muscle. The musician released one album with the group “A Heavy Nite With” in 2003 after which Cocker worked with the likes of Nancy Sinatra, Marianne Faithful, the Lovers and made a high profile appearance in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”.

In 2006 Jarvis Cocker issued his debut solo album “Jarvis”, which earned a string of rave reviews and peaked at No. 37 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was supported by shows in and around Europe and a short spell in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. Cocker’s sophomore album “Further Complications” followed in May 2009, once again receiving popular reviews and charting at No. 19 on the UK Albums Chart.

Live reviews

For over a decade, Jarvis Cocker labored in obscurity. The band he fronted, Pulp, put out a string of critically acclaimed but sadly ignored records until 1995's Different Class and the single “Common People” made them stars. Since folding the tent on Pulp in 2003, Cocker has released two outstanding solo albums and done extensive touring in support.

The best part of a his live shows is the man himself. Always something of a fashion plate, the stylish Cocker possesses a charisma and wry sense of humor not far removed from that of his pal, Ricky Gervais. No surprise either that Cocker's backing band is absolutely aces. They're able to handle his intricate and almost orchestral studio material like “I Never Said I Was Deep” with aplomb.

That being said, they also rock like crazy when the need arises, like on the Gang Of Four-sounding “Further Complications”. Cocker is perhaps at his best when he applies his sardonic observational wit to the withering, hilariously profane anthem “...Running The World”, a worthy successor to the themes of “Common People”.

About that last song. Yes, Jarvis Cocker does do material from his days in Pulp. Yes, he's very likely to lead the band and audience in a rousing version of “Common People” at some point in the show. However, it's likely a grave mistake to go to one of his concerts expecting to hear a great deal of that older material. Cocker himself can seem almost annoyed at audience members who shout out constantly for that song, so don't be that guy. His solo material is fantastic and worth seeing perfomed live on its own merits.

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Sheffield musician Jarvis Cocker is known as a figurehead of the Brit pop movement due to his energetic performance style and intelligent lyrical voice that inspired the followers of his iconic band Pulp. Whilst there are no current plans to revive the former operation, Jarvis has kept his fans' appetites whetted with a number of highly acclaimed solo albums.

His latest gigs are a showcase of this work and includes an equal amount of tracks taken from both albums. Jarvis is equally animated during the upbeat alt-rock numbers yet appears slightly more reflective in his growing age as he entrances the crowd with a somber rendition of 'Caucasian Blues'. The lyrical tongue is still razor sharp years later and the crowd really appreciates this. A number of Pulp covers make their way out tonight yet these do not steal focus or become highlights in any sense as Jarvis's show in general is the main reason for celebration tonight.

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Good Pop, Bad Pop: The Sunday Times bestselling hit from Jarvis Cocker Hardcover – March 15, 2023

• Print length 368 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Jonathan Cape
• Publication date March 15, 2023
• Dimensions 6.57 x 1.38 x 9.57 inches
• ISBN-10 1787330567
• ISBN-13 978-1787330566
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jonathan Cape (March 15, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787330567
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787330566
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.27 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.57 x 1.38 x 9.57 inches
• #247 in Pop Artist Biographies
• #687 in Popular Music (Books)
• #19,124 in Memoirs (Books)

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Jarvis cocker.

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Where to Get Tickets to Pulp’s First North American Tour in Over a Decade

• By Jonathan Zavaleta

Jonathan Zavaleta

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

It’s a good time to be a Britpop fan. Tickets for Oasis’ reunion gigs , slated for 2025, have been selling quickly. Blur released an album last year , and now Pulp are going on tour in North America, with dates starting in mid-September. The tour, announced in March , will mark the first time the Sheffield band has toured the continent in over a decade. The band’s first date is September 8, when they will perform at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois.

The dates are part of the band’s “This Is What We Do for an Encore Tour.” Official tickets can be found on Ticketmaster and resale sites like StubHub , VividSeats , and TicketNetwork . Prices vary by venue and ticket site, so it’s worth shopping around to find the best availability, and most of the venues offer GA floor tickets. Plus, Rolling Stone readers can take $150 off $500 Ticketnetwork purchases with code RS150 and $20 at VividSeats with RS2024 .

Pulp’s last time performing in the US was for Coachella, in 2012 . They have spent much of the past year on the festival circuit, performing at European festivals like Primavera Sound and Way Out West. Pulp’s North American tour is a relatively short one — the band is playing nine dates in only five cities; Chicago, Toronto, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Pulp’s frontman Jarvis Cocker has led a successful solo career in the intervening 23 years since the band’s last LP, We Love Life , and he’s as well known for his oversized glasses and outspoken views as he is his breathy vocals. Like Oasis, Pulp spoke out against scalpers in announcing the tour. While Oasis stated that tickets can only be resold at face value, Pulp wrote on social media , “Please don’t purchase resale tickets at stupidly inflated prices.” The good news is that most resale tickets are selling for modest sums. Many GA tickets can be found for around $130. That can still be an investment for many fans, but it isn’t an outrageous price.

While Pulp never reached the stratospheric fame of Oasis and Blur, they had genuine hits like “Common People,” which reached number 2 on the UK singles chart. “Common People” was featured on the album Different Class , which also featured songs like “Disco 2000” and “Something Changed.” Cocker spoke to Rolling Stone about his aspirations, telling Rob Sheffield in 2020 , “When I had a group of my own, we were always aspiring to have hits. Because to me, that was where music really happened.”

Pulp – Different Class

Pulp are swinging through smaller venues, which means certain dates sold out quickly. After the band’s first two dates at The Palladium in Hollywood sold out, Pulp added another show at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Pulp also celebrated its penultimate album This Is Hardcore with the release of Hardcore: The Cinematic World of Pulp . The coffee table book features photos by Paul Burgess, who documented the band’s live performances and studio sessions. The book was released on January 9, 2024.

Hardcore: The Cinematic World of Pulp

$43.71 $50.00 13% off

You can check out the full list of dates below, and shop tickets on Ticketmaster , StubHub , VividSeats , and TicketNetwork . Rolling Stone readers can take $150 off $500 Ticketnetwork purchases with code RS150 and $20 at VividSeats with RS2024 .

SEP 08, Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL SEP 10, History, Toronto, ON SEP 11, History, Toronto, ON SEP 13, Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, NY SEP 14, Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, NY SEP 16, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA SEP 18, Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA SEP 19, Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA SEP 21, Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles, CA

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Jarvis Cocker’s new band JARV IS… announce debut album and UK tour

'Beyond The Pale' will arrive later this year

Jarvis Cocker ‘s new band JARV IS… have announced details of their debut record, as well as sharing their first single and announcing a UK tour for later this year.

The first original music from the Pulp frontman since 2009, ‘Beyond The Pale’ will arrive on May 1 via Rough Trade records. ‘House Music All Night Long’ is the latest track to arrive from the record, following the release of 2019’s ‘ Must I Evolve ?’. Take a listen below.

It sees the Pulp  frontman teaming up with bandmates Serafina Steer, Emma Smith, Andrew McKinney, Jason Buckle and Adam Betts – who were all a part of the  series of shows Cocker played in unexpected locations in 2018.

They’ll also take the record on the road in May 2020. Check out those dates in full below.

May 1 – London Rough Trade East Instore 2 – Bristol Marble Factory 3 – Birmingham 02 Institute 5 – Manchester Albert Hall 6 – Glasgow Barrowlands 8 – Liverpool Invisible Wind Factory 9 – London Roundhouse

The album tracklist can also be viewed in full below, alongside the album artwork.

Recommended

1: Save the Whale

2: Must I Evolve?

3: Am I Missing Something?

1: House Music All Night Long

2: Sometimes I am Pharaoh

3: Swanky Modes

4: Children of the Echo

Jarvis’ latest literary work  This Book Is A Song  is also set to be published on October 1.

Cocker  signed a reported six-figure book deal with Penguin Random House/VINTAGE publishing company Jonathan Cape back in March 2017  for the rights to  This Book Is A Song.

According to a description from Penguin/Jonathan Cape, this “unique and important book” will see Cocker explore “the subject of creativity and how to quietly make amazing things happen in a world of noise”.

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