The Pulp Xmas concert at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane could have ended in tears - the over excited youngsters dancing upstairs were gyrating so wildy that cracks were appearing in the balcony structure. The theatre managers were wanting to stop the show before the end of the set but we managed to pursuade them to let us keep going through two encores.
The evening began with a new band called, for that night at least, Vittorian Amastronaut (they were previously called Tomorrow's People Today) They had some technical troubles but I thought they were great and you should go see or hear them if you get a chance. Next was "The Black Tower", a film by John Smith, the respected English independent film-maker who taught Jarvis at St Martin's College. Menswear followed, proving to everyone that they're not just pretty faces (though that counts for a lot!), and that the hype is not entirely groundless, but based on some good songs, style and panache.
After an intermission, the curtains were raised to reveal Pulp, who opened with two old songs - Love Is Blind and Death Comes To Town - followed by, oh you know, a string of hits and favourites, and one entirely new song called We Can Dance Again. There were a few moments of tension as Jarvis performed precariously on the specially constructed staircase, but there were no disasters and everyone left with smiling faces.
