Pulp: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets
(2014)
|Documentary, Music
Britpop band Pulp found fame on the world stage in the mid-1990s with anthems including "Common People" and "Disco 2000". Twenty five years and 10 million album sales later, they return to their hometown for their last UK concert.
This is a film about the people of Sheffield and one Pulp concert, rather than the band's career. I thought it was hilarious, and extremely well made, and not at all what I was expecting. The ordinary people of Sheffield (I will avoid saying 'common') are varied and entertaining, and the concert footage is superb. There are many highlights, but I will outline a few of my favourite moments: Steve Mackey's explanation of why playing to people from Sheffield is so nerve-wracking, the performance of 'Help the Aged', the knife maker, Candida's honesty and everything Nick Banks says. Pulp have always presented pop music in an unusual and entertaining way, and this documentary is fitting of that legacy.
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