Pulp

By TROY J. AUGUSTO

Pulp (Hollywood Grand; 800 capacity; $ 14) Promoted by Avalon. Reviewed May 22, 1996. It's easy to dismiss Pulp upon first impression, what with leader Jarvis Cocker's overt fascination with celebrity and the group's overly British musical inclinations. But in concert, Pulp, which formed out of the early '80s post-punk scene in Sheffield, England, separate themselves from the flotsam of the latest Brit invasion with a sensual and dramatic style that's all their own.
 
Band: Jarvis Cocker, Russell Senior, Nick Banks, Candida Doyle, Mark Webber, Steve Mackey.
 

Cocker's hips and arms swing and sway as he rails against social conflict and croons about romantic struggles. Each turn of a phrase or new verse was accompanied by photogenic poses and expressions that moved the fans to throw all manner of undergarments, a trademark of Pulp's enthusiastic fans.

Songs of the 90-minute perf were mostly drawn from the band's two Island albums, particularly last year's "Different Class," an ambitious and creative collection that recalls early period Kinks, Bowie and even late-'60s Pink Floyd.

Highlights ranged from the techno-hook of recent semi-hit "Common People," whereby a rich daddy's girl tells the song's narrator of her desire to live and sleep with commoners, to the show-opener "I Spy" with its triumphant show-tune chorus, to "Feeling Called Love," a soul-searcher that's more reminiscent of Genesis or Marillion than the band probably intended.