It’s tempting to greet news of yet another indie- or alt-rock band regrouping for a nostalgia tour with little more than a shrug. But for American fans of Britpop—the U.K. subgenre that exploded in the mid-’90s and faded out nearly as quickly—the trend more frequently leads to concert-related frustration. Plenty of Brit bands have staged comeback shows at home, including Suede, the Stone Roses and Blur (whose 2009 reunion was documented in the compelling 2010 film No Distance Left to Run), but they’ve been woefully underrepresented on this side of the pond.
But Anglophiles can rejoice this week as one of the genre’s greatest acts, the Sheffield combo Pulp, makes its first U.S. appearances in more than a decade. Led by frontman Jarvis Cocker, the group chronicled the minutiae and anxieties of modern life, adroitly weaving universal tales of sex, loneliness and—as in its biggest hit, the acerbic-yet-anthemic “Common People”—class issues. That single propelled Pulp into the U.K. mainstream, but fame took its toll (as recounted on its uneasy 1998 effort, This Is Hardcore), and the group disbanded in 2002. Still, its decision to reunite after nearly a decade doesn’t feel forced; to judge by video clips of appearances across Europe in 2011, the band is in fine form, Cocker as charismatic as ever.
Despite its domestic popularity, Pulp never achieved stateside stardom; unlike Oasis, whose loutish guitar rock transcended its homeland, Pulp’s songs were simply too British, with references to St. Martin’s College and Camden Town. But for American fans who may have missed out the first time, these shows will be a treat. If only more Brit bands would follow suit.—Amy Plitt