Pulp returned to Glastonbury festival this evening (June 25) to play an epic set on The Park stage, billed as ‘special guests’ at the event.
Frontman Jarvis Cocker made an impassioned speech about the festival during the show, which saw thousands of fans flock to the most northerly part of the Somerset site. It was the returning Britpop band’s fourth appearance at Glastonbury, having played there in 1994, 1995 and 1998.
It was only fully revealed this morning that Pulp were due to play the bash, with Arctic Monkeys and The Killers some of the names that had tongues wagging about potential star guests. Yesterday Radiohead played the ‘special guests’ slot at The Park.
When the band arrived on stage the sun was beating down on the site – in stark contrast to the rain that had fallen there the previous day and night. “We couldn’t think of anything to get you so we brought the sunshine,” Cocker quipped before opener ‘Do You Remember The First Time?’ .
The singer later made reference to the news that police were hoping to test the sewage at the festival to find out which drugs, if any, the punters there had been indulging in. “They wanted to take samples from the toilets to see if there’s drugs in there,” he explained. “Firstly, who’s going to take that sample? Secondly, fuck off. Everyone’s in a field having a good time.”
The band’s setlist veered off course from their recent comeback shows, and included ‘Acrylic Afternoons’ and ‘Live Bed Show’, which the frontman explained the band hadn’t played in a very long time. But they also found time for plenty of classics including ‘Disco 2000’, ‘Sorted For E’s & Wizz’ and closer ‘Common People’.
“Thanks Glastonbury, obviously it’s been a very important place for us,” the singer said near the end of the show. “When we played in ’95 things took off for us and we went in a strange orbit around the earth, and now we’re back home in one piece.”
