Pulp, the iconic Sheffield-born band known for hits such as Common People and Disco 2000, were inducted into the Sheffield Legends Walk of Fame today with an elaborate plaque unveiling ceremony and celabratory pop-up pub at Hallamshire Hotel.
The ceremony took place at 2pm outside Sheffield Town Hall. A plaque with Pulp’s name was unveiled by 17 past and present members of the band, incuding frontman Jarvis Cocker.
In his introductory speech, Cocker said: “Pulp is a group that started when I was at school in 1978. There was no musical accomplishment required, it was just, ‘have you got some time on Friday evening and would you come to my mother’s house whilst she’s at the pub and make some noise?’, and people came and did that.
“I think being in a band teaches you something about co-operating with people. The people in the band may not agree with me there actually, but I’m wearing this hat that says ‘BOSS’, but I’m not the boss, I’m the loudmouth of the band.
“In a band, you learn that it’s all about the people listening to eachother, and trying to make the sound that you make together into something great, and that’s what Pulp have always done.
“It’s nice to get a Legends star, and I will walk past it at some point I’m sure, but the thing that’s great about being in a band is inventing things and making up stuff yourself.”
The unveiling also saw speeches from keyboardist Candida Doyle and drummer Nick Banks, as well as Sheffield’s Lord Mayor Andrew Sangar.
Sheffield’s influence on Pulp hasn’t gone unmissed, and the band continue to embrace the city’s roots to this day. The song Babies famously references “Stanhope Road,” a residential road located in Intake, the suburb frontman Jarvis Cocker grew up in.
See: From Intake to the Walk of Fame: the Sheffield streets that made Pulp
Pulp’s guitarist Mark Webber grew up in Chesterfield, but travelled with friends to Sheffield to see bands and visit record shops, such as Record Collector in Broomhill and the former Rare and Racy shop on Devonshire Green.
Webber was formerly a fan of Pulp and ran a fanzine called Cosmic Pig before joining as a fulltime member in 1995. He told us: “There was not a lot going on in Chesterfield when I was growing up. There was one alternative record shop which is where someone first played me a Pulp record, but I used to come with my friends to Sheffield all the time.”
Speaking on young musicians in Sheffield and the barriers they may face when trying to break into the industry, Webber continued: “Well obviously there’s less small, medium-sized venues which is a bit of a problem, but I think musicians sort of always find ways to find eachother.
“Especially now with the internet, which didn’t exist [when he was at school], you can be anywhere and get your music out to people and somehow people will find it.
“I mean, the industry is kind of a boring concept. I think just bypass the industry and do your own thing. That’s, for me, when being in Pulp started to be a bit boring was when we became very successful and part of the industry, and then you have a whole other set of demands on you and expectations, stuff like that, and that’s what kind of takes the joy out of it.”
The Sheffield Legends Walk of Fame honours well-known names hailing from or connected to Sheffield. Previous inductees include actor Sean Bean, footballer Derek Dooley and athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill.
People of Sheffield can choose nominees for the Walk of Fame. The idea was originally from the Sheffield Star.
Lord Mayor Sangar said: “It’s about reflecting people who’ve made a difference to Sheffield, people who’ve become famous in Sheffield and who’ve became famous around the country and obviously in Pulp’s case are famous around the world, so its a range of different people representing different things.
“I think Pulp were incredibly strong contenders, so we’re really pleased to welcome Pulp to Sheffield legends.”
The overall purpose of the Sheffield Legends Walk of Fame is to show that “you can be great in Sheffield, but greatness can be measured in lots of different ways.”
The Lord Mayor continued: “It’s not just some of the best sporting stars, some of the musical stars, John Birkhill [for example], it was his contribution to raising money for charity.”
Sheffield has a rich cultural scene, as proven by the city’s shortlisting to become the UK City of Culture last week. Council Leader Fran Belbin told us that the council works with the sector and independent venues to support musicians and other creatives across the city.
She said: “I hope we can continue to support people through new venues we’ve been building through the Heart of the City project, also I think it’s about us creating career pathways so that young people can get involved with the cultural scene.
“One of the things I always think about Pulp is how hard they worked to get anywhere before they really made it big, 15 years of working around those very local venues, making music in garages and in bedrooms, and I hope that really inspires people locally to keep working at it, keep putting that effort in, and hopefully you will get there in the end.”