Sherwood Pines, Nottingham
If you went down to the woods this day, you were sure of a big surprise ……… Jarvis Cocker and his band frolicking with nature and rocking with the wildlife (although I haste to point our that no bears were harmed in the making of this event!).
In the midst of the resplendent setting of one of Britain’s largest and most ancient woodlands, the Alan Titchmarsh of the music world prepared to sing about trees, birds, sunrises and all things nature. And as the sun gradually faded behind the majestic backdrop of 150ft pines, Jarvis ambled on stage after the rest of the band and was greeted rapturously by the crowd who were eagerly awaiting his appearance in the natural clearing which had become the venue for the show.
Jarvis didn’t waste any time in exhibiting his trademark carefree attitude, defiantly taunting the crowd by standing silently at his mic’ for a few moments before flinging back the hood of his khaki Parker and singing the appropriately entitled Trees.
Pulp’s latest album We Love Life (launched in October last year) was their tribute to the natural world and apparently Jarvis is no stranger to donning his walking boots and ‘getting at one’ with the countryside. So, not surprisingly, they were approached by the Forestry Commission to undertake a series of gigs ‘al fresco’ in the heart of forests around the country and this was the first of a seven-date tour.
“Go tell it to the trees” Jarvis declared, “but they won’t take a blind bit of notice!” You always know you’re going to get something entertaining with these guys and Jarvis was on-form from the start, cavorting around like a theatrical dance student … … be a tree … now a jumping bean! A perfect routine for Sorted For E’s And Wizz, which was then followed by equally animated versions of Joyriders and Babies, and then there was also an emotional performance of the disturbing Help The Aged.
A video of woodland scenes complemented the rural setting and as it grew darker the wooded enclosure was illuminated by an extravagant light show. Pulp certainly believe in giving value for money and they concluded the two-hour set with not one, but two encores. To everyone’s delight the final song of the evening was that which made them big, Common People. But in stark contrast to an excellently performed evening’s entertainment, Jarvis lived up to his name and cocked-up the intro forcing a re-start.
A disappointing end to an otherwise perfectly idyllic evening.
