Pulp's star plaque honours legendary city band

Sheffield indie-rockers Pulp have been officially honoured as legends of their home city with the unveiling of a walk of fame star plaque outside the town hall.

Past and present members of the band, including singer Jarvis Cocker, gathered for the celebration and held a pop-up event at a nearby pub.

They join Gordon Banks, Dame Jessica Ennis, Michael Palin and others in receiving the accolade, which was unveiled by the band and the Lord Mayor of Sheffield.

Speaking to a crowd watching the ceremony, Cocker said: "It's nice to get a legend star and I'll 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 for yourself."

He added: "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 while she's at the pub so we can make some noise?

"People came and did that, and over the years the noise became more palatable."

Dozens of fans cheered as Cocker and Lord Mayor Andrew Sangar pulled back a red cloth to reveal the plaque.

Fran Belbin, leader of Sheffield Council, said: "What I always think about Pulp, though, is they did 15 years of relative obscurity and they really persevered and they really stuck at it.

"I think that's a really important message as well to all those people who are making music in their bedrooms or creating art in other ways: stick at it, keep going - and I feel that's a really strong message."

Pulp achieved critical success in the mid-1990s with the release of their album Different Class and their hit single Common People, which a teenage band performed for gathering fans shortly before the unveiling ceremony in Sheffield.

Speaking to the BBC afterwards, Pulp guitarist Mark Webber described it as "a very strange and unexpected day".

"I guess no one would have ever thought we would be embalmed on the pavement outside of the town hall," he said.

To further celebrate the band's induction onto the walk of fame, the band hosted a pop-up event at the Hallamshire Hotel.

Drummer Nick Banks and keyboardist Candida Doyle sat for a meet-and-greet with fans, some of whom had queued throughout the morning to catch a word with the musicians.

One fan, Eleanor, said she had travelled from Sweden for the event.

She said: "I've been a fan for many years. The music, I love the lyrics. It speaks to me in a sense. I try to see them as often as I can live."

When asked what she talked about with the band, she said: "I don't remember. I was just blacked out. I was like, hello!"

Molly, from Northumberland, said she had queued for two hours to get to speak to the band.

"I love them so much and I didn't know that I'd ever see them again," she said.

"When they reformed back in 2023, my lovely husband said I could go and see them as much as possible, so I've taken him at his word and I felt I needed to be here.

"I didn't know what to say to them, just apart from thank you for being in my life for the past 30 years and just to say how much joy they've brought."

Snaking down the pavement outside the pub were dozens of people waiting to meet Banks and Doyle.

The interior of the pub itself was decked-out with cardboard cut-outs and merchandise.

The pub also planned to host a Pulp-themed quiz, raffle, a fancy-dress competition and karaoke throughout the day.

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