30-plus years since its last Atlanta show, Pulp returns for ‘More’

September 1994: The city prepared for the Olympics, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was still standing and the Masquerade hosted a concert by Britpop titans Blur and Pulp.

Taking place on Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker’s 31st birthday, it would be his group’s only Atlanta appearance — until now, that is.

Buoyed by a stellar new U.K. No. 1 album —“More,” its first in 24 years — and a short, sold-out North American tour last fall, Pulp makes its long-awaited return to the city for a Thursday performance at the Tabernacle.

“It was probably the best tour that we’d done in the U.S.,” Cocker said about last year’s run on a recent call from his London home. “So it felt good and the audiences were quite amazing as well because they were quite young. I’m looking forward to coming back (to Atlanta).”

The Sheffield, England, group is a study in perseverance. A teenage Cocker formed Pulp with friends in 1978. While the band secured a coveted performance on legendary DJ John Peel’s BBC program in 1981, it would be more than a decade before it met chart success.

By then, only Cocker remained from the original lineup.

Between 1994 and 1998, Pulp released three albums and scored hits with “Mis-Shapes,” “Disco 2000” and “This Is Hardcore.” Pulp’s most famous song, “Common People,” reached No. 2 on the U.K. charts in 1995 and is considered by many as the height of Britpop’s musical offerings.

After 2001’s “We Love Life,” the group went on hiatus until a 2011 reunion. Following another decade off, Pulp got back together in 2022, beginning a stretch of concerts that included last year’s North American return.

In addition to Cocker, the core lineup includes keyboard player Candida Doyle, drummer Nick Banks and guitarist Mark Webber, augmented by touring and recording members.

The possibility of cutting what became “More” started with Cocker writing songs to try at sound checks and eventually in shows for variety. “I think everybody enjoyed working on something new whilst we were touring,” Cocker said. “We were just kind of working them out as we were traveling around. Luckily nobody left the band (when he proposed making a new album) … so we did it.”

The singer wanted to work with a producer, so in August 2024 Pulp recorded the song “Spike Island” with James Ford as a test run. “I knew as soon as I heard the rough mix … that he was the right person for the job,” Cocker said.

“Spike Island” is the first single from “More,” and the singer’s confidence was well-placed. It’s a joyous anthem that includes a succinct statement of personal purpose from Cocker: “I was born to perform/it’s a calling/I exist to do this.”

Pulp reconvened with Ford at a studio in Walthamstow, in east London, after its North American tour. Conditions were Spartan but magical. “It doesn’t have a control room so the mixing desk is in the same room that you play in,” Cocker said. Ford “fostered a really good environment where it was very relaxed. And when people are relaxed they play a lot better.”

Recording moved at a blistering pace, particularly compared to the lengthy sessions for the band’s last two albums. “I was absolutely flabbergasted,” Cocker said about knocking everything out in three weeks, possible only because he wrote more in advance this time. “I just wanted to make sure that before we went in the studio I was absolutely sure of the words and sure that all of the arrangements of the songs were right.”

The benefits of that preparation are palpable on “More,” capturing the dynamic of a band thrilled to be creating music together after years away and sounding confident across a range of styles and tempos.

While “Spike Island” leads the way, there are no weak links.

“Tina” explores the worlds of possibility we imagine with someone admired only from afar, with Cocker’s voice moving from soft whisper to animated howl and back. “Grown Ups” examines perceptions vs. realities of adulthood, while soul stomper “Got to Have Love” is begging to be played live and loud.

The three songs that bring the record to a stunning conclusion blend seamlessly into each other, another sign of Pulp’s cohesion. “Partial Eclipse” and “The Hymn of the North” are ballads graced by orchestral beauty. Album closer “A Sunset” features a soaring choir composed of band members and legendary producer Brian Eno and family.

“A Sunset” is a fitting end to the album that has been a pleasant surprise for Pulp’s fans.

Band members worked on other projects in the intervening years, with Cocker in particular staying busy across the arts. He hosted a radio show from 2010 to 2017 and has moderated speaking appearances by everyone from Leonard Cohen to Paul McCartney.

Cocker played Myron Wagtail in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and has appeared in several films made by his friend Wes Anderson. For Anderson’s 2021 movie “The French Dispatch,” Cocker recorded an album of French pop songs as fictional singer Tip-Top.

He’s made several records with his solo project, Jarv Is, and his 2022 quasi-memoir, “Good Pop, Bad Pop,” earned rave reviews for its easygoing, conversational style.

Ideally, Pulp’s momentum will lead to even more music. Cocker noted it’s possible that new songs will be performed on this tour.

He’s hopeful about the future: “As long we’re enjoying it and we think that what we’re coming up with is valid, then we’ll do it.”