Wednesday 3 November 2010

291 PULP, The Bluetones, Bristol University Anson Rooms, Friday 21 April 1995

A fourth gig so far this early gig year at the Anson Rooms, and a late one as well this time, thanks to it being part of Radio 1's "Bristol Sound City" promotion, and being broadcast on the old wireless. So, Ady and I didn't get there until 9.30, then also had to sell a couple of spare tickets as 2 of our number had dropped out at short notice thanks to work and headaches!

Played "Spot The Fashion Victim" in the bar - a favourite parlour game - before John Peel (yes, even he) introduced new band The Bluetones. Surfing the latest Blur-influenced zeitgeist wave, they were merely nice; poppy, pleasant, inoffensive, utterly forgettable!

Pulp were next up, just after 11, and caught us on the hop as we were expecting advertised main support Dreadzone next! Anyway, Jarvis Cocker, elegant raconteur and currently every indie kid's favourite vaguely smutty uncle, led Pulp through a carefully chosen and pindrop-perfect sounding set of both oldies and newies. Absolutely brilliantly delivered, with dynamism and showmanship in equal measure, Pulp's sleazy and sinister keyboard-fuelled sex-music was outstanding tonight. A delicious "Babies" and a mesmeric closer (and new single) "Common People" - surely an anthem in the making - were the set highlights, but I could honestly have picked any of them tonight!

No encores though (bloody Radio 1 "live" transmission!), so we left on Pulp's conclusion, just after 12. Were Dreadzone headlining? Who cares?

No comments:

Post a Comment