Pulp at Utilita Arena Sheffield: Set list, stage times, support act and travel information for homecoming gigs

They are due to play there on Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15, in what will be the band’s first concerts in their home city since they performed at the arena back in December 2012. Judging by the reviews from their comeback tour so far their latest homecoming promises to be a belter.

Pulp are sadly returning without their former bassist, Steve Mackey, who tragically died in March this year, aged just 56. Jarvis Cocker has been joined on tour by Pulp’s long-term keyboard player Candida Doyle, drummer Nick Banks and guitarist Mark Webber, with the traditional line-up supplemented by Andrew McKinney on bass, Emma Smith on guitar and violin, and Adam Betts on keyboards, guitar and percussion.

What are the stage times for Pulp’s Utilita Arena Sheffield shows, and who is supporting them?

The doors will open on both days at 6pm, with the car park and box office open before that, from 4pm. Pulp are being supported by fellow Sheffield musical legend Richard Hawley, who has previously performed with the band and wrote the music for the acclaimed musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge. Richard Hawley is due on stage at around 7.45pm. The interval is scheduled for 8.30pm and Pulp are due to take to the stage at 9pm. The curfew is 11pm.

What is the setlist for Pulp’s Sheffield homecoming gigs?

The setlist for Pulp’s Sheffield shows remains a surprise but judging by previous shows on their reunion tour it is unlikely to disappoint and is expected to feature most of their biggest hits, including Common People, Disco 2000, Sorted for E’s and Wizz, and Babies.

Unsurprisingly, the sets on their comeback tour so far have leaned most heavily on the songs from their best-selling album Different Class, released in 1995. But they have also mined their 1994 breakthrough album His ‘n’ Hers, which includes classics like the aforementioned Babies, Do You Remember the First Time, and Pink Glove. And they have played several tracks from their critically acclaimed but less commercially successful later albums This Is Hardcore and We Love Life, including Weeds, This is Hardcore and the criminally underrated Sunrise.

There is likely to be a particularly poignant moment when Pulp play Something Changed, from Different Class, which has been dedicated at earlier gigs to the late, great Steve Mackey.

How to get to Sheffield Arena by bus, train, tram and car, and where to park

If you’ve travelled by train and are coming from Sheffield railway station, it takes about 20 minutes by public transport to get to Utilita Arena Sheffield. The easiest way is to get a tram or walk to the Fitzalan Square/Ponds Forge tram stop and from there get a yellow route tram towards Meadowhall, stopping at Arena/Olympic Legacy Park. Trams run around every 10-12 minutes at peak times and every 20 minutes off-peak.

You can also get a 208 bus from Sheffield Interchange to Attercliffe Common/Amberley Street, from where it is about a four-minute walk to the arena, or take the X8 bus from Charles Street to Attercliffe Common/Amberley Street, with a short walk from the railway station at either end. You can get the train to Meadowhall Interchange, from where it is an even shorter journey by yellow route tram.

If you’re driving from the north, you are advised to leave the M1 at junction 34, signposted Sheffield A6109 (Meadowhall). If you’re travelling by car from the south, you should leave the M1 at junction 33.

Parking is available at Utilita Arena Sheffield, but ticket-holders are warned that the on-site car parking regularly sells out well in advance and people should book their car park ticket ahead of time. There is also parking available at Meadowhall shopping centre on the days of the Pulp gigs. Park & Ride car parks are available too, at Meadowhall train station and off the Sheffield Parkway (A630).

For more travel information, and how to book parking, visit: https://www.utilitaarenasheffield.co.uk/plan-your-visit/directions.