For my final post of the year, I’ve made a list of rock & roll Christmas songs, from big hits to hidden gems. There are more famous ones I could’ve added, but I’ve kept it nice and short. Thank you for reading the blog this year, and see you in 2026.
Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody
Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa
John Lennon – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Wizzard – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
The Killers – The Cowboy’s Christmas Ball
Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock
Darlene Love – All Alone on Christmas
Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Wanna Fight Tonight)
The Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick
Elton John – Step Into Christmas
Bruce Springsteen – Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
The Kinks – Father Christmas
Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas
No Doubt – Oi To The World
Chuck Berry – Run Rudolph Run
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Wandering Star
I feel that Gwen Stefani is one of the most interesting stars in modern rock and pop. I love her band No Doubt and their blend of new wave, ska and pop punk. However, the pop sound of her solo career, starting in the mid 00s, has arguably given her even more success. It blew my mind when I found out that the singer of “Just a Girl” and “Don’t Speak,” is also the singer of “The Sweet Escape” and “Hollaback Girl.”
I’m not too fond of her solo career, as I’d rather she was doing the Blondie-esque rock of No Doubt. Nonetheless, I was intrigued to see what her Christmas album was like.
*2018 edition cover
In a 2017 interview with Jimmy Fallon, Gwen said that she wasn’t initially sure what route to take with the album. She wondered if it should be a ska or punk-inspired album etc. In the end, she went for a classic Phil-Spector style Christmas album.
Even though I would have rather had a classic No Doubt style record, as it would be more distinctly her, I still enjoy this sound. I am glad she went for a traditional vibe, instead of a modern pop sound with trap beats! She also said in this interview that the live sound of the album gives it a punk mentality, and that a lot of the record is inspired by No Doubt, which I appreciate.
As with most Christmas albums, it has been re-released a staggering amount of times. I am reviewing the 2018 version as it has a few more originals than the 2017 standard edition. The 2020 digital deluxe also features the lovely track “Here This Christmas.” I wasn’t keen on the two new Christmas songs she released this year, as they were just a bit too cheesy for me!
This 2018 deluxe edition features 8 originals, along with holiday standards. These are all done in a 60s girl group style; backing vocals going “shoop shoop,” big drums and percussive instruments such as castanets. Even “Last Christmas” by Wham gets this treatment.
Although these covers are nicely done, I am more interested in the original compositions. An aspect that makes these stand out for me are some of the chord progressions used.
For example, the very Phil Spector-esque “My Gift is You” has a chorus of F#m (minor) D A C#m. This is different from the generic F#m D A E, which is a chord progression I dislike in most songs. I do enjoy the twist on the progression in this song.
The twist appears again on “Under The Christmas Lights,” my favourite on the album. The song has a similar chorus of Bm G D F#m (instead of going to A like most songs). It then wraps up with an Em G Bm A sequence, and finally, a G D A Bm progression. The pre-choruses even sound almost identical to “The British Are Coming” by Weezer. This deceptively simple and happy 60s style Christmas song is actually rather complex.
*Gwen with Rivers (L) and Brian (R) from Weezer, 2016
Another standout is “Cheer For The Elves” from the 2018 deluxe. In a YouTube video about the making of the album (on the Amazon Music channel), Gwen describes having the No Doubt-esque ragtime melody in her head. She then worked on the chords and lyrics with writers Justin Tranter and Busbee, who co-wrote all the songs on the 2017/18 editions with her. This proves that many of the song ideas come from Gwen, which I appreciate. No Doubt tracks are always written by her and her bandmates as well.
The combination of the slightly reggae/ska inspired beat and “Hollaback Girl” style rapping is a clever idea. It’s like melding together all the different styles of her career. It is very jolly, but never becomes too cheesy for me. I also enjoy the other original compositions on the album.
Overall, this is a pleasant and fun Christmas album, with a 60s Phil Spector throwback vibe. It manages to sound both old-school and modern at the same time.
For my tracklist of the 2018 deluxe, I keep the first few covers for the Christmas vibes, and finish off with an upbeat Christmas cover, but mainly stick to the originals. I also switch a few ballads around to keep it upbeat (I have “Christmas Eve” as the penultimate track).
It does sound like the soundtrack to a Hallmark Christmas movie, and is very schmaltzy. Your enjoyment of the album will likely depend on how much Christmas cheese you can stomach!
Nonetheless, it has great melodies, and even though I would have preferred a full-on punk and ska style album, it is still better than a Christmas album slathered with modern Pop production. Thankfully, the rocking “Oi To The World” by No Doubt exists!
Ho ho ho…it’s December! That means it’s time for some Christmas reviews. I thought this would be a good opportunity to cover some different genres. I recently did a review on Frank Sinatra and wanted to cover another Jazz legend, Dean Martin. Christmas wouldn’t be complete without the familiar voices of these classic crooners, whose jazzy renditions of holiday standards are played every year.
The Dean Martin Christmas Album was released in 1966, and features staple Christmas songs, such as “White Christmas” and his famous version of “Let It Snow!” The most distinctive part of the album, and all of his music, is his incredible and timeless voice. His tone is silky smooth and he delivers the songs which such an effortless swagger. He also has fantastic enunciation, you can make out every word he says.
As a drummer, I believe that crash cymbal hits are integral to a song having energy. I believe they play a key part in the tension and release of a song. If a track doesn’t have that release of a big crash cymbal hit, it can feel one-note and flat, in my opinion. That’s why the more upbeat songs on this album, to me, are the tracks with light crash cymbal (or ride cymbal, not sure) hits, to give that release.
The only songs on the record with these cymbal hits are “Jingle Bells,” I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Blue Christmas” and “A Marshmallow World,” which has a punchy beat compared to the rest. This is only four out of ten songs, which means the majority are laidback and relaxed. There are a few tracks which are slightly more upbeat, but don’t build up to a cymbal hit, such as “Let It Snow!” and “Winter Wonderland.”
Thus, I have slightly re-jigged the tracklist to have a few upbeat tracks followed by a very soft track etc. For “Let It Snow!” and “Winter Wonderland,” the intro to “Jingle Bells” with the crash cymbal hit will be played and then faded out, as a little outro. This is to get that crash cymbal hit into these songs.
Overall, this is a lovely album that is perfect for the time of year. It has a classic sound that is not overproduced, and will never go out of style.
For my final new album review of the year, I am looking at We Are Love by The Charlatans, released on 31st October.
This is the fourteenth album by the band, who grew to prominence during the “Madchester” scene of the late 80s and early 90s. Other groups who came up during this time include the Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses, who I discussed in the last review. I again discovered them from a Top Gear Anthems album years ago.
Although the Roses are known for groovy, dance-inflected tracks such as “Fools Gold,” much of their classic debut album consists of jangly guitar pop, inspired by 60s bands like The Byrds and The Beatles. Meanwhile, the Mondays are famous for a jagged funk and electronic-inspired sound, and the off-kilter lyrics and vocals of frontman Shaun Ryder.
The Charlatans are a bit of a mix of both. They are melodic like the Roses, but always have the groovy Madchester beat of the Mondays. The organ is also a key ingredient in their sound. I think a lot of their albums are quite patchy, but the compilation Forever: The Singles is fantastic.
*album cover
Unlike a lot of bands from that time, The Charlatans have survived through the decades, never breaking up and consistently releasing music. They have remained strong through tragedy, with the deaths of keyboardist Rob Collins in a traffic accident in 1996, and drummer Jon Brookes from a brain tumour in 2013.
Thus, it is interesting that the band decided to return to Rockfield studios for this record. This is where they made their 1997 album Tellin’ Stories, of which Collins died during its creation. Talking about the decision, frontman Tim Burgess said – “that was important as a way of honouring every member who’s played in the band. So we’re honouring ourselves, our past, feeling that energy and reincarnating it, doing something fresh, brand new.”
This choice doesn’t give the album a morose feel by any means, but as with their last two albums, there is a more reflective and mature feel. The guitars aren’t as distorted, and the vocals don’t have the same Liam Gallagher-esque sneer, possessing a more wistful quality. Nonetheless, the album still has the classic Madchester grooves and is fairly energetic and accessible.
My favourite tracks include “Deeper and Deeper,” with its signature dance beat and organ, and the title track. This has a very Johnny Marr style riff from guitarist Mark Collins, which is always a good thing for me. He even looks like a mix of Marr and Noel Gallagher. All the rockstars of that era must go to the same barbers…
*Collins on the right
Overall, this is a good album by the band. It features an organic sound, with no electronic beats or the like. I don’t know if I’d buy it, but there are no songs I would skip. So I guess it’s a 10/10?
See you next time, when the page will briefly turn into JW’s Christmas Music Musings…
On Thursday 20th Nov, the music world lost another legend, Gary “Mani” Mounfield, the bassist for The Stone Roses. His groovy and funky sound was a key part of their distinctive style. For example, “I Wanna Be Adored” and “She Bangs The Drums” would not be the same without their iconic opening riffs.
He was also known as a very personable and down to earth guy. In his tribute, Richard Ashcroft from The Verve called him, “one of the loveliest positive musicians to spend time with.” Thus, here is a list of my favourite Stone Roses basslines from him.
I Wanna Be Adored
She Bangs The Drums
Waterfall
(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister
Made of Stone
Shoot You Down
This Is The One
I Am The Resurrection (yes I basically included the whole debut album. The remaining track “Bye Bye Badman” also has mad bass work)
Fools Gold
One Love
The songs in this list are all from the debut album and the classic Turns Into Stone compilation. I didn’t include anything from the “disappointing second album” Second Coming. Even though there are some very tasty bass licks on this record, the album has barely any of the jangly melodic goodness of the first album. I do enjoy the sound of tracks like “Love Spreads” but there’s not enough of what made the first album so great for me.
The Roses disbanded after this album, and Mani joined Primal Scream, playing with them until 2011. He brought his swaggering funk along with him and provided some gnarly grooves once again.
Even though I love the bands of that time, I have never really understood the Scream. The highly-regarded Screamadelica is such a strange album. I do appreciate the melding of rock and dance, but frontman Bobby Gillespie doesn’t even sing on half of it and it is really the baby of producer Andrew Weatherall.
To me, it sounds less like a seamless mix of rock and dance and more of a DJ album with a few songs by Primal Scream on it. Other acclaimed albums by them feature the same weird mix – half of the songs being electronic instrumentals, and then some songs being straightforward Rolling Stones-esque rockers. They are a great singles band though.
Overall, Mani was an integral part to the sound of The Stone Roses and they wouldn’t have been the same without him. He was a charismatic man who loved life. Rock in peace.
The Glow is the 3rd album by Australian band DMA’s, released on 10th July 2020. Even though they’re Australian, they have heavy British 90s influences, from bands such as Oasis and The Stone Roses. This even applies to the Liam-esque voice of frontman Tommy O’Dell and the look of the band. This had led to them featuring at festivals such as TRNSMT in Scotland, inciting the same lager-soaked madness as Oasis gigs.
Their first two albums, Hill’s End from 2016 and For Now from 2018, are full of these Britpop influences. I would recommend tracks such as “Lay Down” and “Too Soon” to any Oasis fan. Even though these are great songs, they are highly derivate. If DMA’s kept churning out these songs, I would lose interest quickly.
They released the song “Life Is a Game of Changing” in early 2020. This was the first song I heard by them and it blew me away. I always thought they were a simple Britpop-style band and this electronic dance song greatly intrigued me.
The Glow album that followed is a great mix of new dance explorations and their usual rock n roll sound. It is produced by Stuart Price, famous for his work with Madonna and Kylie Minogue, which shows their willingness to try new things. Here’s a track by track review of the record.
*album cover
Never Before – the album kicks off with this groovy and hypnotic track, reminiscent of bands like The Stone Roses and The Charlatans. Once again, it is highly derivative, but it’s a sound I’m very fond of. It is a great opening to the album, as it does have a typical rock band sound, but with acid house influences.
The Glow – a more simple guitar-pop track, typical of the band. However, the production still has an electronic edge, with synths melding into the massive sound. I don’t like the generic chord progression of the pre-chorus, but the pleasant chorus makes up for it.
Silver – the band are known for their big ballads, and this might be their finest. The track builds and builds to a euphoric crescendo of not one, but two huge choruses. The wall of guitars at the end showcases some neat shoegaze influences aswell.
Life is A Game of Changing – the aforementioned track is easily my favourite on the album. It sounds like a duel between New Order and Oasis, which somehow works. Once again, the track becomes a Wall of Sound at the end, and the combination of reverb-drenched guitars and synths is very dreamy. It is a great mix of a rock band sound with electronic beats.
Criminals – one of my least favourites on the album. The song has a section which I find cringey, with weird electronic vocal effects that you hear in many modern pop songs. However, the rest of the track is a nice Verve-esque song, with nifty bass work.
Strangers – a nice Smiths style song with great guitar parts. The song has another anthemic Britpop chorus and would fit in on the earlier albums.
Learning Alive – easily my least favourite on the album. The song is a piano-ballad with the cliche chord progressions that I dislike. Not my style of music at all!
Hello Girlfriend – another simple breezy guitar pop track, very reminiscent of the Stone Roses. Some quirky lyrics too which I appreciate. A song that could fit on the earlier albums again.
Appointment – another chill ballad, with a great Johnny Marr-esque riff, like in Strangers. One of my favourites.
Round and Around – a swaggering rock track with a monster chorus. Some subtle dance elements too, with the breakbeat pattern on the drums and 90s “Madchester” sounds.
Cobracaine – an experimental end to the album. In my opinion, the album very much still has a guitar band sound. However, the two tracks “Life Is a Game Of Changing” and this one dive-deep into EDM sounds. This track has electronic beats like the former track, and builds up to a massive beat drop. There’s even some autotune in parts, which I’m not a fan of. This ends the record on an exciting and futuristic note.
Overall, this is a strong release and my favourite from the band so far. They followed it with How Many Dreams? in 2023. This features a similar mix of dance and rock sounds, flirting more heavily with the former. The track “De Carle” is bonkers and sounds like a menacing Prodigy track. They are doing a 10 year anniversary tour of their first album next year. I think a pure rock n roll album next time around would be a nice change of pace, but I’m curious about whatever they decide to do.
Today, I am starting a new series I will do every once in a while, classic album throwback. The first album I will review is By The Way by famous band the Red Hot Chill Peppers.
This is the eighth album by the group, released in 2002. It is quite a departure from their previous work. They were mostly known for a high-energy funk and rap-rock sound. When guitarist John Frusciante joined the band in the late 80s, his songwriting influence led to mellower sounds explored on albums like 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik and 1999’s Californication.By The Way dives deep into this different sound.
Frusciante is credited with writing most of the album’s melodies and arrangements, even extending to the bass lines. This led to tension between him and crazy virtuoso bass player Flea. However, the record is now regarded as one of their finest works. The lyrics from Anthony Kiedis are also more reflective than before.
The album is certainly my favourite by the band due to this shift in style. Frusciante was heavily inspired by The Beach Boys (doo wop harmonies are all over it) and Johnny Marr’s guitar work in The Smiths which I love. Almost all of the songs have big major key parts which I greatly appreciate.
I have so many favourite songs on this album. It contains some of their biggest hits such as the title track, “The Zephyr Song” and “Can’t Stop.” Other favourites of mine include the exotic “Cabron,” and ska-influenced “On Mercury.” The tracks “Minor Thing” and “Warm Tape” also feature incredible melodies. The former especially has so many catchy and ethereal parts, with a rip-roaring guitar solo.
I do think the album is a good introduction to the Chili Peppers, as their quite bizarre funky sound can be a bit much for new listeners.The album has almost no funk, which is odd. I would say the title track, “Can’t Stop,” and parts of “Minor Thing” are the only ones with hints of their usual sound.
The album really formed the sound of the rest of their career. Even though every album since has had its fair share of slap bass and funky licks, their music has increasingly had a more tuneful and almost haunting quality.
Overall, this is an incredibly consistent album that I would highly recommend. The only track I dislike would be “Don’t Forget Me.” I just don’t like the chord progression and tempo, I find it quite dirgey. As usual for them, the album is a lengthy 16 tracks, which I wouldn’t have any other way. The guitar work is some of Frusciante’s best, and drummer Will Ferrel, I mean Chad Smith, is great as usual (you can spot this in the picture). It is great Saturday morning relaxing music, like much of their work for me. Thanks for reading.
We now move on to the final headliner of Glastonbury 1995, The Cure and their performances over the years. This was already their third time headlining, but first when Glastonbury was starting to gain more prominence. The set is more concise than their very lengthy modern shows, with all the hits being played (apart from “The Lovecats”). I was able to watch the show through a YouTube video recorded on an old video camera at the festival which is very cool. However, there are a few pro-shot videos of certain songs available (even though they are bad quality too). It is interesting that the crowd sings along to “Inbetween Days” in this show but not in the next one I will discuss…
The Cure returned to Glastonbury in 2019, which was now a massive cultural event, with many of the biggest artists in the world having played. This has caused many acts to go above and beyond for their sets. For example, rapper Stormzy controversially headlined the 2019 festival on the Friday night. Many questioned if he had the songs, with only one album released. However, he put on a massive production, fit with a gospel choir, people riding bikes on stage, and many guests including Chris Martin from Coldplay. He also got the crowd singing most of the words. The Killers also put on a fantastic performance on the Saturday with some brilliant guests.
In contrast, The Cure return to Glastonbury to do a typical Cure show: no fireworks or guests and minimal chatter. And for a band that has moodier music like The Cure, this totally works in my opinion. They make it quite charming in fact. At one point, Robert says he’ll probably win the award for the least amount of talking in a Glastonbury headline show.
I find this show interesting, as it works as a headline set with not that many songs the crowd knows. Although I am surprised the usually loud Glastonbury crowd doesn’t know tracks like “Lovesong,” “Just Like Heaven,” and “Lullaby.” The lineup for the festival is announced after tickets go on sale, so the audience may not be made up of massive fans.
The setlist is a journey that builds up to a big climax. Smith timidly waves at the crowd and they start off with the slow but beautiful tracks “Plainsong” and “Pictures of You.” Most bands would start with some bangers, but The Cure introduce their darker side right from the off. They then go into some lighter tracks, such as the kooky “High” and raise the tempo with the aforementioned “Lovesong.” Smith even plays a weird flute thing in “Burn.” The classic “The Head on the Door” album is a great showcase of their lighter side.
“Inbetween Days” and “Just Like Heaven” cap off this mid-section, before returning to some gothic sounds preceding the massive encore. At the end of “Disintegration” Robert exclaims he needs a few minutes to put his “pop head” back on. I do believe some songs could’ve been cut from the first half of this set, to make it more tight and engaging for the crowd.
He returns for the encore and says that the next half-an hour is Glastonbury. And the band proceed to rattle out a slew of perfect pop songs. Even with ones the crowd don’t sing such as “The Caterpillar” and “The Walk,” they are visibly dancing and there are a lot more crowd shots. They then end on a high with the hits “Friday I’m In Love,” “Close To Me,” and “Boys Don’t Cry.” Smith does a lot of slightly restrained goofy dancing which is hilarious. He looks overwhelmed by the response of the crowd at the end. I believe this gig is one of the greatest Glastonbury headline sets of all time. Although no “Lovecats” again!
This year Olivia Rodrigo headlined the Sunday Night of the festival. The other headliners were The 1975 and Neil Young (I will talk about him in another post). I am not a fan of The 1975’s music and found that their headline set was cringey and safe. Matty Healy’s antics are too vague for me, as it’s hard to tell when he’s being serious or not, and I don’t really see the point he’s trying to make. To me, nothing particularly special happens in the set, which I found strange as it was their only show of the year.
The reason Olivia Rodrigo’s set ties into The Cure, is that her sensational guest was Robert Smith. They do “Friday I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven” together and it is magnificent. It seems that as usual people were apprehensive about Rodrigo headlining. She is, to me, wrongly seen as a lightweight popstar. Surprisingly, for such a massive singer, her crowd is quite small for a headliner.
Nonetheless, she completely proves her worth to the crowd with a rock n roll show. Her music has a definite pop-punk influence, along with new-wave sounds that I now hear through the guest of Robert Smith. The track “Pretty Isn’t Pretty” definitely has a Cure vibe. This is combined with lyricism that appeals to young girls, with phone-lighter ballads mixed in.
To me, this show by Rodrigo is a 101 on how to do a great Glastonbury headline set. For only having two albums, she has so many hits to choose from, placing mega-hits “Vampire” and “Driver’s License” early in the set. She has a fiery and commanding stage presence, similar to rock front-women of history such as Debbie Harry from Blondie and Gwen Stefani. Her all-female band regularly do extended solos and outros. There are no dancers and a relatively paired back light show, which adds to the rock feel. She also tells the Somerset crowd how she loves Colin The Caterpillar sweets from M&S. And of course, the aforementioned guest of Smith.
All in all, I believe that Rodrigo’s set is one of the best in the history of Glastonbury. It almost feels like another Pulp 1995 moment of proving everyone wrong. I think she will definitely be back and will surely get a large crowd. It feels like a bridge between the rock past of Glastonbury and the modern musical landscape. With the other legends she’s brought on stage such as David Byrne from the Talking Heads, who knows who will join her. Thanks for reading.
As part of my Albums of 2025 series, I am looking back at records released through the year. An artist that is finding a lot of popularity these days is Sam Fender. I find this refreshing, as his music is predominantly guitar-based and is all written by him.
People Watching is the third record released by Fender. His first album, Hypersonic Missiles from 2019 was quite successful, but his second album Seventeen Going Under in 2021 really shot him into the stratosphere.
To my ear, the first album has more of a standard indie rock sound, with a track like “Will We Talk” sounding heavily Strokes-influenced. On Seventeen Going Under, he fully turns into the Geordie Bruce Springsteen.
The heartland rock sound, and heavy use of saxophones and xylophones, do make his music very similar. I would say his music is slightly derivative of Springsteen, but Fender adds his own Geordie working class indie spirit.
After the success of his previous album and title track, the new album carries on in the same vein. To me this is not a bad thing, as he would want to capitalise on this newfound success. I would like to see him change things up for album 4 though. He has mentioned a punkier sound, which would be interesting.
The album has had both phenomenal popularity and acclaim, winning the Mercury Music Prize recently. The lyrics touch upon Fender’s usual themes of struggle and hardship, but with hope shining through the clouds.
My favourite songs would be the title track, “Rein Me In,” and lengthy track “Wild Long Lie.” An aspect of the latter track along with others is the new use of synths. This gives the music a more haunting quality. “Rein Me In” has also become a huge hit, with a new version featuring rising singer Olivia Dean.
The only song I don’t like so much is “TV Dinner,” as it is excessively dreary! He also does have rather poor diction over the course of the record.
Overall, this is a very strong release from Fender. It has sealed his reputation as one of the strongest voices in music at the moment, and I believe he will only go onto greater heights after this. Thanks for reading this quick review.
Continuing on my series looking at Glastonbury headliners over the years, we arrive at Pulp. After Oasis on the Friday in 1995, Pulp famously stepped in for The Stone Roses on the Saturday.
Although the Roses are a legendary band, and have never played Glastonbury, Ian Brown is a notoriously bad live singer, so I think the ears of the crowd were spared that night!
Pulp are an interesting choice to step up, as they really weren’t headliner material at this time. After releasing multiple albums starting from the 80s, they had just found success with 1994 album His ‘N’ Hers. They had a few hit singles from that album, but not exactly enough for a headline slot. But they had one massive trick up their sleeve…
The hour-long set is quite enjoyable, with the on stage jokes and observations of frontman Jarvis Cocker keeping the crowd engaged. He also displays a magnetic stage presence throughout the set. You really can’t take your eyes off him. He even says their new song “Sorted for Es and Wizz” is about the legendary Spike Island gigs by the Roses.
However, the trick up their sleeve is their recent single “Common People.” The song was already gaining great popularity, but the song truly is a monster anthem to close out the set. The way it keeps building and building ends the show with a bang, and the crowd go absolutely wild.
Pulp walk away triumphantly, having unexpectedly nailed their slot. This song is arguably one of the first “Glastonbury Moments.”
They returned to headline in 1998, with a bit of a strange set. They had a lot more hits this time, and really deserved the headliner status. The classic album Different Class, from late 1995, was a huge hit, partly due to the Glastonbury set.
They play quite a challenging setlist, with most of the concert deriving from their new album This is Hardcore, which is a lot darker and less immediate than the aforementioned 1995 album. They don’t even play big hit “Disco 2000.” To me, this set is a bit of a missed opportunity. The classic performance that is shown year after year is 1995, and this show is almost wiped from history.
Pulp returned to Glastonbury this year, to much anticipation. They were billed as mystery band “Patchwork,” similar to the secret Foo Fighters slot a few years ago.
I feel this is the perfect slot for Pulp in this era, as sadly the hour-long set showed that songs the crowd would’ve sung in the 90s, like “Babies,” don’t get the same reaction from the mainly younger crowd now.
Nonetheless, the stage presence of Jarvis is still as dynamic as ever, with his witty anecdotes pushing the set along, as in 1995.
Of course “Common People” closes the fun set in suitably epic fashion. With this song, Pulp have written themselves into Glastonbury folklore forever. Next time, I will talk about The Cure, the final headliner of 1995, and their performances over the years.
