Pulp Wythenshawe Park Review: A Night You'll Remember for the Rest of Your Lives
Date of Gig: 28th August 2026
Venue: Wythenshawe Park, Manchester
Reviewer: Joel Hill
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jarvis Cocker, Pulp, Wythenshawe Park © Morten Rosenvinge
As the rain eased, and the sun began to shine through the clouds for the first time that day, the stage lights went down on a sold out Wythenshawe Park. TV feedback filled the screens as an ambient voiceover echoed around the fields... “This is a night you are going to remember for the rest of your lives”. As the lights came up, Pulp took to the stage, just over a year after their previous sold out Manchester gig at the Co-Op Live last June. Starting things off with 1995’s ‘Sorted for E’s and Wizz’, the band got the crowd going with an apt number from their hit album ‘Different Class’. “Oh is this the way they say the future’s meant to feel, or just 20,000 people standing in a field?”
Earlier that day I went along to the Rat and Pigeon in Manchester’s Piccadilly, which had been taken over by Pulp for the weekend as a ‘Pop Up Pub’. The venue was awash with Pulp memorabilia, archival material, and (of course) merchandise, including a nice exclusive T-shirt for the Wythenshawe gig. The queues to get into the venue were not to be desired, with a one hour queue leading to another indoors. However, in many ways this highlighted the popularity of the band, 48 years after Jarvis Cocker formed the group in Sheffield, just aged 15. The immense turnout to the Pop Up Pub even earned a shoutout from Cocker himself at the gig, who referred to the bar as the ‘Rat and Parrot’. The venue sold signed records and posters, t-shirts and various other bits of merchandise, something for all Pulp fans. There was also a jukebox that played a mix curated by Jarvis. The atmosphere and vibe within the Rat and Pigeon/Parrot did an exceptional job at building anticipation for the Wythenshawe gig that night, with a nice communal feel, as Pulp fans descended on the back of Piccadilly.
On leaving the pub I headed for the park, and after the sets of the ever growing and original Seb Lowe and South Yorkshire’s Self Esteem, Pulp took to the stage to deliver what could potentially be their last big gig. Though Cocker did not rule out future concerts, there were strong hints that this was Pulp’s farewell to Manchester and big outdoor concerts, with the frontman telling the audience it will be Pulp’s last gig for a ‘long time’. They got things going with two tracks from the ‘Different Class’ album (‘Sorted for E’s and Wizz’ and ‘Disco 2000’), before the setlist explored further iconic Pulp hits from ‘His N Hers’ right through to 2025’s ‘More’. Seeing the crowd receive songs from ‘More’ with the same energy and positivity to classic singalongs from the 90’s emphasized the band’s everlasting songwriting ability and vigour as a live act. Particular highlights from the set included ‘This is Hardcore’, ‘Mis-Shapes’, and ‘Babies’. Each song listed from a different record and year in Pulp’s discography, proving not just the strength the band have as a live act, but also the timelessness created in songs (some of which are over thirty years old). There was also an eclectic mix within the crowd, with some original fans who have been there from the beginning, through to new fans seeing the band for the first time.
There are few, if any, bands that have narrative singalong songs like Pulp, dealing with themes and issues such as class, sex, and social exclusion. ‘Common People’, the penultimate song of the evening, proved once again to be one of the greatest songs ever written, lyrically, musically, and performed enthusiastically, with the track still resonating with audiences today. The liveliness, spectacle, and tightness of the band was infectious, and the crowd were bouncing and engaged from the second they took to the stage, right through to the final note played with fellow-Sheffielder Richard Hawley (who accompanied the band for their final song of the night, ‘A Sunset’). The gig was a display of how original and fantastic Jarvis Cocker is as a frontman, in many ways an extroverted introvert, and how accomplished his fellow band members are, such as Candida Doyle and Nick Banks (who have been there since the mid 1980’s).
To say Pulp are one of the great live bands is an understatement – just ask anyone who was in Wythenshawe Park on Friday 28th August.
If this was indeed the last time the Sheffield alternative pioneers were to play in Manchester, or even their last big gig, what a send-off this was.
Pulp Setlist: Wythenshawe Park
Sorted for E’s and Wizz
Disco 2000
Spike Island
Razzmatazz
F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E
O.U. (Gone Gone)
Farmers Market
This is Hardcore
Sunrise
Begging for Change
Do you Remember the First Time?
Mis-Shapes
Got to Have Love
Babies
Common People
A Sunset
Pulp at Wythenshawe Park: FAQs
What date did Pulp play Wythenshawe Park?
Pulp headlined Live from Wythenshawe Park on Friday, 28th August 2026.
Who supported Pulp in Manchester?
Critically acclaimed pop project Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor) served as the main special guest for the outdoor show.
What time did Pulp take the stage at Wythenshawe Park?
Pulp were scheduled to take the stage at 21:00, playing through to the venue's strict 23:00 curfew.
Will there be an official live gallery published?
Yes. Full high-resolution photography of Jarvis Cocker, the band, and the Wythenshawe Park crowd will drop alongside the final live review on this page.
Looking for the Set Times, Support Acts and Essential Information for Pulp at Wythenshawe Park.
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Joel Hill
Contributor, BritRock Heaven
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