16 June: Bedgebury Pinetum, Near Cranbrook, Kent

Support: Mains Ignition / Clinic

Shock of the set here was the 1989 classic My Legendary Girlfriend...

Set List: Trees / Sorted / Weeds / Bad Cover Version / Birds in your Garden / Live Bed Show / F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. / Help The Aged / This is Hardcore / I Love Life / Sunrise / My Legendary Girlfriend / Joyriders / Babies / A Little Soul / Common People

Check out Nick's photo of Mark, Jarvis and Hawley at the base of the biggest tree in Kent, left. 

Click here for more reviews & pics. CDr of concert available from R & A Music.

My lord, England weren't alone in scoring goals this weekend.  The Forestry Commission scored a massive one in Bedgebury.  After a late arrival in Tunbridge Wells, an incredibly expensive cab ride, and that damned prediction of rain, I had low hopes for the Pinetum show.  Further, I pictured a massive clearing filled with stalls hawking ten pound hamburgers and five pound cokes, and, of course, twenty thousand people (standing in a field).  I knew I'd never find my friends, or my ride home. And yet, as the taxi pulled up, I realized how wonderful this was all going to be after all.  The sun setting over the small country lanes.  Teenaged boys in a hut selling 50p coffees and £1 iced lollies, with dog biscuits free for the taking.  Ticket-tearing girls that seemed genuinely happy to greet each and every visitor.  Grannies taking their late tea on picnic blankets.  And the small friendly crowd.  This was nothing like what I expected.  As a friend later pointed out to me, it was like a village fete.  It was remarkable.  Truly remarkable.

Clinic were fun as always -- they played the hits, hid their faces, and sounded like Suicide.  That organ drenched pop-punk definitely has its place.  But Clinic weren't the cause of my trip from San Francisco... that place was concretely held for a band that hasn't toured the US since 1995.  My favorite band that's still together.  Obviously, Pulp. And all the way from Weeds (or was it Trees?) to Common People, it was perfect.  I couldn't stop mouthing along (except for that brief respite through My Legendary Girlfriend -- such a grand and surprising choice!), or crying like a starstruck schoolgirl (during both Bad Cover Version and Sunrise -- and I knew I wasn't alone either time), or bouncing up and down with the bulk of the crowd.  Joyriders and Babies made me feel like it was 1994 all over again.  Jarvis' impromptu cover of I Believe I Can Fly was unforgettable.  The softcore porn projected behind the band during Hardcore was spicy, and Sorted and F.E.E.L.I.N.G. were both perfect.  Damn -- the whole show was perfect, what can I say?  That the show ended with a Francoise Hardy (was it?) song over the PA... pure brilliance. Forestry Commission and Pulp, thank you.  Travelling 5000 miles for this show really was worth it. (Andy Deemer)

Last nights gig at Bedgebury Pinetum was amazing.  The first support band, Mains Ignition were dodgy to say the least.  They looked like they were still living in 80's Manchester and the frontman must have thought he was headlining Glastonbury yet the music was just bland. CLINIC came on dressed as Brain Surgeons.  The set was ok, the only memorable song being from the Levi's advert. Jarvis came on barefooted and dressed in brown.  Pulp opened with The Trees, not an amazing opening song but fitting for the occasion.  Then came Sorted, the perfect outdoor festival song.  He did his customary taking off the jumper 'trick' to get the crowd going.  He was his usual witty self answering heckles and telling jokes.  The first half featured mainly new songs, as well as a surprise Live Bed Show. Birds were thrown at Jarvis during Birds in your garden.  This is Hardcore and F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. were brilliant as usual.  They finished on Sunrise before the encore... and what an encore.  I never thought I'd hear My legendary Girlfriend live, it was brilliant to see the confused faces on most of the crowd.  Then came a brilliant Joyriders and Babies.  What had been a subdued crowd now went mad. The 2nd encore brought A little Soul and obviously, Common People as well as a Bob Marley joke. You couldn't ask for more from tonight, a brilliant set played in a beautiful setting proving once again that Pulp are still the most interesting, different and best band around. (Steve Pike)

Yet again I was really struck by how huge and gorgeous the songs from the new album sound when played live. Weeds was fantastic and so was Bad Cover Version. The band seemed to be in good spirits, must have been all the fresh air. They reworked the end of Live Bed Show which sounded great and was good to watch - Jarvis and Richard facing off their guitars. Arrghhhhhhhhhh!!!! My Legendary Girlfriend!!! I practically had a fit dancing to it. (Melinda Marshall)

It was an impressive gig. Although having seen them in Brixton last November... I cant help but feel there was a little enthusiasm lacking from Jarvis last night. Maybe his engagement has subdued him a little, but his dancing was a little less energetic, and whereas before songs like F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E and This Is Hardcore had been performed dramatically, with hushed tones and no end of leaping acrobatics at climactic moments... he didn't seem to put as much into it last night. That aside, however, it was a great performance, with a great performer at the head of it - not many would pick up an origami bird thrown by an audience member and start singing 'I believe I can fly', or re-emerge for an encore and simply say 'how does Bob Marley like his donuts?'
It was good to hear Joyriders and My Legendary Girlfriend aswell as Babies - it's reassuring that Pulp aren't just out to plug We Love Life. The highlights for me were the extended Live Bed Show, Help the Aged and Sunrise. Pulp are on great form... oh and Candida's hat was cool too. (David Clack)

Such a great civilised atmosphere. No pushing and shoving. No great amounts of litter. No hassles at all. Great sound. And a great performance. And ..."My Legendary Girlfriend"!!!!!! (Paul Jackson)

Bedgebury last night was fantastic. Arrived at 5pm - had a walk in the woods - bumping into Jarvis who was out strolling too. Found the tallest tree in Kent: the suggestively named "Old Man of Kent". The look of the arena in its walled garden with trees around was beautiful and Pulp's set was fantastic. We all thought that the band all seemed livelier and happier than at Brixton on the original We Love Life tour. The sound of the new material seemed fuller and tracks such as Trees and Bad Cover Version sounded more tuneful and heartfelt than before. Whoever had the "Put Pulp live on stage in the woods" idea should be knighted. (Ben Dessau)

Jarvis was in a relaxed and playful mood at Bedgebury. The whole group came on together, Steve beaming, Candida in a fetching pink/black bandana & top and Jarvis looking very at ease. Straight into Trees which couldn't have had a much better setting in this (highly managed but none-the-less beautiful) forest. There were plenty of jokes and touching of fingers. At one point in the set Jarvis disappeared round the back and a minute later popped his head out of the curtain underneath Nick's drum stage, grinning away. Crawling out he returned to the mike and I'm not sure many people noticed what he'd done. It was stunning to hear Legendary Girlfriend near the end and impressive to see how much energy was still given to Common People, sadly the last song. Watching Pulp you completely lose all sense of the clock. There's ordinary time and Pulp time, I know which dimension I'd rather be in. (Leilah Leask)

Wasn't it a lovely evening and a perfect setting for a gig last night? Fathers day, a mild evening .. out in the Forest.. a bit like a gig in Sweden, all that pine! The best version I have heard of The Trees kicked off and left us swooning... then highlights from then on were F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E., This
is Hardcore, Sunrise, Sorted, Live Bed Show, Weeds, the wonderful Babies. They also did as one of the encores, My Legendary Girlfriend. And isn't Jarvis so understated and cool? His droll wit always shine.. even removing a jumper is an amusing event, or talking about midges! And two encores?? a veritable treat! Although we'd retreated to just in front of the mixing desk by then to get the benefit of the better sound and appreciation of the set, and of course, it was nearer the bar... being too close is great visually but a bit dodgy aurally! Although its all good wherever you are. It was over all too soon though. (Andy Chivers)

IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!! Pulp were as amazing as ever, and they played My Legendary Girlfriend which sounded fantastic live, and I was completely bowled over by Sunrise, it was amazing. Couldn't believe they didn't play Minnie Timperley tho, and the bar tent was way too small, we were
queuing about eight deep. But it was soooooooooo good. And the whole atmosphere in the field was relaxed, it was like a mini festival, and much better than sweating it out in Brixton. Wish they'd play more often. Sigh. (Kerry)

The gig was probably the best I've ever seen. Even better Newcastle Arena in 96, a week after the Brits. (Jimmy Thompson)