The diary of a B’Estfest convert. Day 3 (Pulp)

There’s a reason why Pulp was at the avant-garde of Britpop, and that reason is Jarvis Cocker.

Not to minimize the contribution of his mates, but with a frontman like that, it is like you have secured a ticket to stardom. Equally, it is also impossible for the others to steal the limelight. There can be only one Jarvis Cocker on the stage, because he is everywhere.

A concert in Romania of this influential British band was long overdue, and he even admitted that: “This is the first time we are playing in Romania, so we might just as well make it a good time,” he said.

Not only did he keep his word, but he was also surprisingly close to the crowd, getting off the stage and coming to the fence to meet and greet his crazed fans while singing I Spy, smiling and shaking their hands. At some point, he even kissed a fan’s hand, who kissed his hand back! The things you can see when you are in the front row…

Cocker, who is equally famous as leader of Pulp and for barging in as a sign of protest during a Michael Jackson performance at the Brit Awards in 1996, seemed to have lost nothing of his flamboyance and witticism, and he fully displayed this in the Bucharest show.

As fans were gathering up for the concert, a transparent black curtain was “hiding” the technical team doing the soundcheck. Words written in Romanian started running on the curtain: “How are you?,” “Make some noise!,” “You are beautiful,” “Do you want to see a dolphin?” The huge letters making up the name of the band lit up in the background.

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Do You Remember the First Time? was the song that kicked off Pulp’s recital. “Salut!” (Hello) was the first word that was uttered on the stage. The curtain fell during the first accords of the song and a very energetic Jarvis Cocker dashed to the front of the stage.

With famous British punctuality, Pulp had started their recital at midnight sharp, and 2 minutes after they were already into playing “Monday Morning,” since, as Cocker said, it was already “luni dimi-nea-ta.” (Monday morning).

Asking a girl in the crowd what she wears when she goes to work, he introduced Pencil Skirt.

“Do you have friends who come to your house and eat your food? This song is for them,” he said introducing Like a Friend soon after.

Actually, the Romanian equivalent of each one of the hits played that evening had been written on a piece of paper glued on the floor by Cocker’s team, which made him crouch on the floor on all fours, while holding his glasses with one hand, to read the Romanian version- adorable moments throughout the show. At times, he had to stop and clean his glasses, and even wiped his face with a rug picked up from the floor!

“This song is about…co-pi. Copi-i. Is it correct how I say it, copi-i-i?” he asked, shifting the accent several times to get it right, to everyone’s amusement, and then explained that “this isn’t a song about babies, it’s about making them. Maybe you’ll get to practice at this festival.”

Disco 2000 was played in the first half of the show, when the atmosphere had reached boiling point. But the best moment of the night (for me) was This Is Hardcore. This song has a lot of sex in it just as it is, but Cocker’s unleashed performance, flooded with sexual innuendos (at some point, he even mimed some oral sex with the microphone!), was just over the top.

Common People, perhaps Pulp’s most well-known song, duly introduced as Oameni Obis-nui-ti, came at the end, and was supposed to close the show.

But since the crowd was roaring, calling them back, Pulp returned for an encore, playing Dogs Are Everywhere especially in Romania.

First performance in 25 years, because, explained Cocker, while strolling in Bucharest he saw stray dogs. “I read there are 300,000 dogs on the streets. That’s a lot of dogs!” he exclaimed, and sang “Sometimes I have to wonder/About the dog in me/’Cause dogs are everywhere/Where I go…” ending the show with a bark.

“Good-bye and enjoy the rest of the festival!” were the last words, and Pulp retired from the stage, leaving behind faces flooded with emotion.

Pictures by eMag!c Entertainment.

Otilia Haraga