Advertisement
BLACK FRIDAY OFFER: 3 months for just £9.99
SUBSCRIBE
Books

Pulp's This Is Hardcore (33 1/3) by Jane Savidge review – warmth, candour and insight

The latest in the 33 1/3 series covers Pulp's 1998 album, a reaction to the bleak side of fame

Pulp’s This is Hardcore (33⅓) by Jane Savidge is out now (Bloomsbury, £9.99)

The long-running 33 1/3 series is a valuable library of pocket-sized essays devoted to classic cult albums. In this latest instalment, Jane Savidge dissects Pulp’s ‘difficult’ follow-up to their Britpop smasheroo Different Class

In This is Hardcore (33 1/3), Savidge, a former Pulp publicist, recounts the cautionary tale of a band discovering that fame is a pyrrhic victory. Jarvis Cocker had always dreamed of being a pop star. When he eventually became one in his early thirties, the initial rush was followed by an inevitable comedown. This is Hardcore, a flawed yet sporadically brilliant record, exposed the utter worthlessness of Britpop cocaine hedonism. 

The title track, a mesmerising, heroically uncommercial symphonic noir epic, is one of the greatest pieces of music made by anyone in the ’90s. The party’s over, turn out the lights. 

Savidge picks at the album’s bones, track by track, with warmth, candour and insight. Her conversational prose is engaging. Naturally, she also has access to every interview the eminently quotable Cocker did at the time.  

Paul Whitelaw is a book, TV and music critic.

Pulp’s This is Hardcore (33 1/3) by Jane Savidge is out now (Bloomsbury Academic, £9.99). You can buy it from The Big Issue shop on Bookshop.org, which helps to support The Big Issue and independent bookshops.
This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!
If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member.
You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

View all
House of the Spirits author Isabel Allende: 'I have regrets – I hurt my family badly'
Letter To My Younger Self

House of the Spirits author Isabel Allende: 'I have regrets – I hurt my family badly'

People expect the deep ocean to be filled with monsters. This is what it's really like
Environment

People expect the deep ocean to be filled with monsters. This is what it's really like

Top 5 new queer books, chosen by author Rachel Dawson
Books

Top 5 new queer books, chosen by author Rachel Dawson

'Alcohol felt like home to us': A mother and daughter's story of alcoholism – and how they overcame it
Alcoholism

'Alcohol felt like home to us': A mother and daughter's story of alcoholism – and how they overcame it

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know