Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker says Oasis show was like a ‘religious rally’

Jarvis Cocker has said attending an Oasis concert during their world tour was like a “religious rally” with “many more fans”.

The 62-year-old Common People singer was amazed by the Britpop group and the masses who turned up to see them live last year for their reunion Oasis Live ’25 world tour.

Cocker attended one of the group’s shows at London’s Wembley stadium with his son, where he realised the band – led by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher – had “many more fans” than Pulp.

Jarvis Cocker of Pulp performing on stage at Finsbury Park in London. (Victoria Jones/PA)

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Speaking at a press conference, Cocker said the show came a day after Pulp performed what he thought was “quite a big concert” – only to be struck by the crowd that gathered for Oasis.

He added: “It’s the first time that I’ve watched a show from the guest area, so you were surrounded by the crowd on all sides.

“I’d never come across an atmosphere like that at a concert before.

“The whole crowd sang every word of every song. It was like being at some kind of religious rally or something.

“It was amazing.”

The singer previously expressed, in an interview with NME, a disdain for the specific label “Britpop” and criticised the way it boxed in indie bands in the 90s who were becoming more mainstream.

Cocker said he would like to go and see Oasis again, with the band announcing earlier this week their Oasis Live ’27 world tour.

He added: “I went backstage after that concert and I spoke to Noel Gallagher for a short period of time.

Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher arriving for the UK premiere of Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger (Doug Peters/PA)

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“He didn’t know that the audience would be like that.

“It had exceeded their expectations of how it would go. It’s a kind of phenomenon, really.

“I probably will go and see them.”

Oasis will go on tour next year and return to Knebworth Park, more than 30 years after their initial gigs, with shows scheduled in Glasgow, Manchester, Munich, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome.

They will also perform at Ireland’s Slane Castle with shows scheduled in Boston and Las Vegas.

Cocker’s comments come ahead of the release of his upcoming documentary film, Pulp: What Do You Do For An Encore?

The Garth Jennings feature documentary is narrated by Cocker and charts the British band’s rise to fame – with footage from some of their biggest shows as well as previously unseen archive videos.