Jarvis Cocker hip-thrusts on speakers while dedicating songs to rioters—indie rock's chaotic return.
"Do you remember the first time?" asks the big screen on the main stage, just before Pulp arrive. Many up the front were but a twinkle when Sheffield's finest debuted Common People here, back on this day in 1994 – "Who was here?" questions Jarvis. "Who was born?" Not that it appears to dampen anyone's ardour – and who can blame them, because this is an imperious set, ranging from a perfect F.E.E.L.I.N.G C.A.L.L.E.D L.O.V.E to a glorious Misshapes, its line about "The future that they've got mapped out/ Is nothing left to shout about" sounding more contemporary than ever. Jarvis jumps from towering speaker cabinets, lies horizontal for some athletic hip-thrusting during a torrid This Is Hardcore, and dedicates Joyriders to "the rioters", quipping "they weren't rioting, they were just playing Grand Theft Auto outdoors". Honestly, it's hard to imagine how their reformation could have been handled any better.
Acting
Jarvis Cocker's theatrical charisma—part lounge lizard, part working-class prophet.
Direction
Intimate crowd shots capturing generational devotion, from teens to original '94 veterans.
Sound
That 'Misshapes' climax hitting harder than your midlife crisis.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 2011 Reading set marked Pulp's first UK festival appearance since their 2002 hiatus, arriving months after the actual UK riots.
The 'Grand Theft Auto outdoors' quip became instant legend—Jarvis weaponizing his wit against media panic.
US
