Since reuniting in 2022, every Glasto secret set has been greeted with hushed whispers and fervent hopes that Jarvis and co would finally be making their return to the farm. 2022 – no Pulp, 2023 – no Pulp, 2024? Nope, still not there. As you may have guessed from this preamble (and the giant PULP headline which is presumably hovering a few centimetres above this sentence), 2025 was the year that everyone’s prayers were finally answered. Fictional band Patchwork turn out to instead be a very real group of britpop legends. And 30 years after their legendary Stone-Roses-replacement headliner slot, too.
Opening with festival anthem ‘Sorted for E’s and Whizz’, the band are on top form, playing a flawless set of absolute anthems to a crowd so big it feels like the whole festival have turned out to see them. ‘This is Pulp’ Jarvis says, ‘sorry to those who were expecting Patchwork.’
So what are they here for? Well, aside from leading a hundred thousand person choir in singing ‘Disco 2000’ and telling people to ‘imagine [they’re] in a living room’ before ‘Acrylic Afternoons’, they’ve got a new album, too. Lead single ‘Spike Island’ slots into a setlist of old classics admirably, even prompting a few people to get on their friends’ shoulders.
Still, the new tunes can’t compare to the all-time classic status of tracks like ‘Babies’ and ‘Common People’ (not that much can, if we’re being honest). Both get a truly biblical airing, although ‘Babies’ nearly gets cut due to time constraints and too much chatting on Jarvis’ end. It’s only an hour long set, but by the end it feels like Saturday’s crowd are getting two headliners for the price of one – especially when the Red Arrows do a fly past during ‘Common People’ (yes, really).
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