Pulp are most widely recognised as one of the pioneering acts of the 1990s Britpop movement. Formed in Sheffield in 1978, their heyday lineup consisted of Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Mark Webber, Nick Banks and the late Steve Mackey.

Originally named “Arabicus Pulp” (Cocker and bandmate Peter Dalton had been inspired by the film Pulp, as well as a segment in the Financial Times about Arabicas coffee beans), they soon dropped the “Arabicus” and released their first album, It, under the name “Pulp”. With this album, and its follow-ups, Freaks and Separations, Pulp struggled to find any success, drifting between different sounds and finding it difficult to settle.

The group subsequently left indie label Fire and signed to Island Records, whose attention the band had caught with the single, “O.U”., which was named as one of Melody Maker’s singles of the week alongside Suede’s “The Drowners”.

Now signed to a relatively major label, Pulp released His ‘n’ Hers, an album that gained them significant attention for fitting in with the current Britpop trend. This success was launched into stratospheric levels with their next record, Different Class and singles including “Common People” and “Disco 2000”, earning them a place in Britpop’s “Big Four” alongside Blur, Oasis and Suede.

Their next album, This Is Hardcore, though still successful both critically and commercially, tanked compared to its predecessor, and 2001’s We Love Life did even worse, leading the group to disband shortly after its release. Cocker then pursued a solo career, and Pulp briefly reunited in 2011, but they are yet to release another album.