By Jarvis Cocker's reckoning, Pulp's return to their hometown of Sheffield comes just a month shy of their first show as a band, 43 years ago. It's a handy reminder that while the band rose to fame in the Britpop era, Pulp coalesced while the key players in 'Cool Britannia' were still sharing drags on cigarettes behind school bike sheds, and were actually birthed in the shadow of grandiose art-pop, brooding post-punk and sleek new wave.
"You will remember this show for the rest of your life," declare screens either side of the stage tonight, and sure enough the band's arrival is a grand affair worthy of occasion. A multi-tier stage set-up sees a string section underpin a powerful, protracted intro for I Spy, with Cocker's brooding baritone issued from the depths as he arrives on a rising platform.
