Pulp recently performed an unreleased song titled ‘Hymn Of The North’ at one of their Sheffield homecoming shows.
The performance took place at the end of the concert on Saturday July 15 which the second of their two mammoth homecoming shows at the city’s Utilita Arena.
It was noted that arriving as the final song of the band’s 20-song setlist, frontman Jarvis Cocker introduced the track as one that no one has ever heard Pulp perform, other than those stood on this stage, and explained that there was some deliberation as to whether they were going to perform it live or not.
The track is one originally written by Cocker, as a solo track for the 2019 play Light Falls, which was written by Manchester playwright Simon Stephens.
Speaking to the audience towards the end of the show. Cocker said:
“OK, I can promise you that no one has ever heard this song except for us on this stage… Actually, that was a lie. It’s a song — the kind of version of it was featured in a play by a guy called Simon Stephens and it’s called ‘Hymn Of The North’.”
He continued, going to sit behind a keyboard:
“We are in the north, so we thought you should hear it first, OK?”
Check out footage of the moment below:
Meanwhile, another highlight of the show on Saturday was the onstage appearance from one-time member Richard Hawley, who joined the Britpop icons for renditions of both ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Common People’.
Hawley, who supported the band at both of their Sheffield concerts — also made a surprise appearance onstage with the members the night before, when the band performed the first of their two homecoming shows on Friday (July 14).
Both collaborations at this weekend’s shows follow their reunion in Dublin last month, when the former member took to the stage in Dublin for a duet of ‘Common People’.
