The Sheffield-born former Pulp frontman is gearing up for the release of Beyond The Pale, the debut album by his band JARV IS…, on July 17.
His last solo LP, Further Complications, came out in 2009. He collaborated with the pianist Chilly Gonzales on the hotel-inspired album Room 29 in 2017, which veered towards classical and spoken word rather than pop or rock.
To mark his 2020 comeback we scoured the archives to uncover nine interesting facts about the musician.
1. There's a Joe Cocker connection
Jarvis is unrelated to fellow Sheffielder and singer Joe Cocker, but he was a friend of the family - he occasionally babysat Jarvis and reportedly fitted a fire for Jarvis' mother in the early 1960s. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
2. He sold fish at Castle Market
As a teenager Cocker worked on Castle Market in Sheffield on a wet-fish stall - he has suggested that honing his sales patter built his confidence. Photo: Samir Hussein/Getty Images
3. He once sailed the River Don
Cocker once went on a risky eight-mile voyage from Sheffield city centre to Rotherham along the River Don in an inflatable boat. "It was like Apocalypse Now," he told the NME in 1993. "There was all these factories pouring thick smoke across the water, we got attacked by gypsies and then there was a bloke stood on the river bank trying to shoot fish with an air rifle. It was probably the best thing I ever did." Photo: Frazer Harrison
4. He wore lederhosen as a child
Cocker - seen here at the Doncaster Dome with Pulp in 1998 - was sent to school wearing lederhosen as a child. The traditional outfit was a gift from an uncle in Germany. Photo: Andrew Partridge