...admirably rises to the challenge and proves that,with a performance as strong as this, you almost don't miss Pulp.

"You are not Jesus, but you are God." Jarvis reads from a piece of paper passed to him. He turns it over, and reads further. "Welcome back. We missed you."

Later on, during a between song pause, Jarvis takes requests, signs the piece of paper, and passes it back to the crowd. It's been five years near enough, since he last stood on a London stage*. Five years is a very long time. Nirvana's spell in the spotlight was over in under half that time.

Cast your mind back to great Britpop Wars of 1995. "Blur or Oasis?" I would be asked. "Pulp", I would say. And, for a while, most people would look at me quizzically. Who? They would think. Who are Pulp?

Fast forward twelve years, and Jarvis, after many years in a state of artistic radio silence, has finally reappeared as that strangest of entities : the solo artist.

But he isn't, and never will be, a solo artist. He, like Morrissey, like Lou Reed, will always be the Man Who Used To Be In A Big Band Years Ago. Sometimes, you can't escape your shadow. And this is where Jarvis is. No one is here because they became a fan when 'The Jarvis Cocker Record' came out. Everyone here has history. Everyone here remembers the fact that Jarvis used to be singer in this brilliant band called Pulp.

And let’s be honest here, people are here to see Jarvis because they like Pulp, and because there isn't a Pulp. It's good then, that Jarvis has admirably risen to the challenge and proven that he still carries the flame of his former band : the biting, suburban wit, the kitchen-sink drama music, and the brilliant, unique blend of the time. With a performance as strong as this, you almost don't miss Pulp.

It's strange to see this lanky, awkward, middle-aged man and think that once upon a time, he was a sex symbol. But then again, isn't honesty - and letting go of your inhibitions - attractive and beautiful?

It's impossible to reinvent yourself, when you've only ever been true. Perhaps strangely, Jarvis is as he always has been - himself. Backed by a largely anonymous solo band (including Steve Mackey, also formerly of Pulp), Jarvis steps forward - even more than he did in his previous band - and projects. It's a long long way from being in a band to carrying the stage as an individual, but he succeeds admirably.

In the space of a short 80 minutes, and with just one album under his belt, he manages to somehow fill the time with every song from the album, two b-sides, two cover versions, and, in what seems to be an almost desperate attempt at buying time, some truly odd, brilliant, and drawn out verbiage. In fact, despite the immense quality (and brilliant wordplay) of the songs, the high points of the evening are Jarvis' brilliant between song banter. To describe it would be to spoilt it, but if Jarvis were ever to go into comedy, his stumbling, whimsical act could be huge.

As it stands, and with a competent, tight backing band that occasionally are given chance to shine - such as the gobsmackingly brilliant and unexpected cover of Black Sabbath's signature metal classic "Paranoid", Jarvis Cocker clearly demonstrates tonight that he has a future as bright as his past, and a selection of songs that can only improve with time. Highlights include the excellent "Running The World", the consistent high-water mark of his debut solo record (performed in it's entirety), and the two cover versions : a stroll through Talking Heads "Heaven", and a finale of a strobe-frenzy, very metal full rock blowout  version of "Paranoid" which sees the band bow out in a orgy of smoke and feedback. Not a single Pulp song is performed, and on the strength of tonight, there's no need to. Here's to a brilliant future.

* (as himself, and not under the obscure alias Darren Spooner, performing to a handful of people).

PICTURES : Donna Nicoll, taken in Sheffield, 16th Feb 2007.

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