Latest news with #Babies
Evening Standard
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
The best and worst Glastonbury moments ever
Step in Jarvis Cocker and Pulp - and it was very much a surprise as few in the crowd had any idea who was replacing them until Pulp walked onstage. To say they stepped up is a vast understatement – they went down in history. The band performed a number of hits including 'Babies', 'Disco 2000' and 'Common People'.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Should you give pocket money to your children? Conor Pope and Rachel O'Dwyer debate
Rachel O'Dwyer: Yes. A modest, no-strings-attached payment is the way to go When my son was four, we were given a Richard Scarry book of children's nursery tales. Tucked after Goldilocks and The Gingerbread Man, was The Little Red Hen – or, as I like to call it, 'Ayn Rand for Babies'. You probably know the story: like a smug tradwife, our protagonist picks the wheat, grinds it to flour and bakes the perfect loaf all by herself. Along the way she pitches the idea of 'help' to the rest of the farmyard animals, (but I've always suspected she can't delegate and doesn't really want them pitching in). When the bread is ready the hen asks the other animals if they'd like to help her eat it (rhetorically as it happens). Those who say yes get a lecture on incentives and opportunity costs. Red eats the loaf herself. 'I hope all that bread sticks in her throat and makes her choke,' four-year-old Ted said, glaring like a tiny Bolshevik at the hen, now stuffing her beak with sourdough. READ MORE My feelings about The Little Red Hen reflect my outlook on pocket money: I'm for it as a modest, no-strings-attached payment – not as a tool for moral instruction, financial training or behavioural compliance. Pocket money as we know it emerged in the early 20th century as children shifted from mini-workers to priceless darlings – who are now, all in, thought to cost the average parent €169,000 before they turn 21 . Pocket money accounts for €1,196 of that a year. Like women's allowances and moral charity, it wasn't always clear if pocket money was a gift, a payment, a bribe or even a lesson in economics, doled out to teach children prudent spending. I'd rather he didn't grow up to believe that value is tied to what society deems economically productive Take the book A is for Allowance (2023), a financial primer for five-year-olds. U is for Utility. Y is for Yield. (B is for Budget and not, as you might expect, for Bitcoin or Blockchain). Like the 'bolsa família', a conditional benefit paid to Brazilian families, or incentives for Irish teachers to brush up on their Gaeilge, pocket money conveys not just value but values – shaping the future consumer-worker-citizen. Today, many apps allow parents to send money directly to their children. In Ireland, we have Revolut <18. In the UK, there's Go Henry. Along with a cash transfer function, Revolut's Pockets app teaches them how to save. Pockets even lets parents link chores to financial rewards. (One pocket money app I see on the Apple store even has a spuriously named 'Teach' – which lets a guardian subtract money as a punishment for bad behaviour.) Most have built-in oversight. Parents can see how children are spending their money and even embargo things such as vapes and Fortnite computer game V-Bucks. (Revolut <18 automatically blocks the purchase of alcohol, cigarettes and gambling products.) My son, who is now eight, gets €3 a week in pocket money – no strings attached. While writing this I've learned that this is a relatively stingy stipend; many sources suggest a euro for each year. While his basic income might seem low, he's often paid extra for larger chores (last week he and a friend were given €10 each for serving drinks at a football tournament). Otherwise, he's expected to help out around the house and water the plants – but his pocket money isn't a reward, an incentive or a lesson. It's about having a tiny slice of economic freedom. I'd rather he didn't grow up to believe that value is tied to what society deems economically productive. That's less about the kind of financial actor I want him to become and more about how I'd like him to relate to and value others. Less 'work or you don't eat', like the Little Red Hen, and more 'to each according to their needs'. This matters more to me than whether he opens a high-yield savings account, or invests in a sweet 10X trade by his 10th birthday. Rachel O'Dwyer is a lecturer in digital cultures in the National College of Art and Design, Dublin and the author of Tokens: The Future of Money in the Age of the Platform Conor Pope: No. Linking cash to chores might actually teach them something While I understand that manythink giving children pocket money is a fine idea, one which promotes prudence and fiscal responsibility, it was a disaster for me as child. I was poor with money and, despite parental efforts to make me a richer, more rounded person, I remained a financial dunce for decades. Every week, the same dance of the dullard would unfold. I'd get pocket money, starting at 5p – rising incrementally as I aged. Once the coins landed in my sweaty palm on a Friday, I'd race to my local newsagents and blow it on comics. After the unbridled joy of Fridays, there would be the lean days – six of them. Occasionally, like a latter-day Oliver Twist, I'd ask for more and, like a latter day Mr Bumble, my father would recoil in faux horror. While he didn't sell me to an undertaker, he never extended credit, urging me instead to learn from my mistakes. (I learned nothing except how to say 'warning', 'God in heaven' and 'hands up, for you the war is over' in German, thanks to the popularity of comics of a particular genre when I was small.) Pocket money creates a sense of dependence and a reliance on the bank of mam and dad I'm not convinced anyone learns much from pocket money. While the accepted wisdom suggests it teaches the young how to spend and save wisely I've never seen convincing evidence. Instead, what pocket money does is create an illusion of financial independence while working as an expensive financial crutch. And, boy, is it expensive. A recent study from Laya Life put the annual cost of pocket money for a child at €1,196. It's a lot to spend on treats and comics. It's not all about the money, though. There are logistical issues, too. Physical cash is increasingly uncommon. While apps can dole out dosh, I'm unconvinced money magically appearing on fake credit cards weekly can teach many life lessons. It certainly lacks the theatre of times past. Instead of pocket money for nothing, linking cash to chores is a better option. This nakedly transactional approach might imbue in children a better sense of how money works while allowing parents to sidestep jobs they lack the time or desire to do themselves. Mind you, even the chore-based model can fail. Not long ago I charged a sweet child of mine with the job of reuniting socks that had lost their partner in the perilous journey from laundry basket to washing machine and back to bedrooms. We settled on some trifling sum, but while 20 cent or 50c doesn't sound steep in insolation, when hundreds of lone socks miraculously find their 'sole-mate' it quickly becomes financially ruinous. I stuck to the deal, and it was only after the money was spent that I discovered the word 'matched' had been loosely interpreted. If the colours of two socks found in a ball were even vaguely similar, it was considered a win. That child didn't lick her cunning off the stones. Linking cash to chores – even ones done badly – gives parents more control over how and when money is handed over while actually teaching children something about the value of money, and where it comes from. By contrast, pocket money creates a sense of dependence and a reliance on the bank of mam and dad. It can be viewed – as I certainly viewed it – as a spending target to be reached quickly to ensure the well of magic money doesn't dry up. And while that might prepare people for life as a government minister, it doesn't remotely prepare them for real life. Conor Pope is Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Korea Herald
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival unveils first line up for 20th anniversary edition
Legendary Britpop band Pulp announced as headliner The Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, one of South Korea's premier rock festivals, has unveiled the first names on this year's lineup, which features a blend of legendary acts and rising stars from around the globe. Pulp, the iconic Britpop band often referred to as one of the "Big Four" of the genre, is the headliner of the festival, which celebrates its 20th year this year. The upcoming performance marks Pulp's first-ever concert in Korea. Formed in 1978, the band rose to prominence in the 1990s with hits like 'Babies,' 'Disco 2000" and 'Common People.' The band recently thrilled fans by announcing plans to release a new album this year — its first release in 24 years. Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation will also headline the festival. Since the band's debut in 2003, the band has garnered critical acclaim for its emotional melodies, dynamic vocals and powerful instrumentals. The band last appeared at Pentaport Rock Festival in 2007. The lineup also includes singer-songwriter Beabadoobee, selected as part of the BBC's 'Sound of 2020,' and the atmospheric experience that is DeafHeaven, pioneers of the blackgaze genre. Among Korean artists featured in the announcement is singer-songwriter Chang Ki-ha, known for his broad musical range including film scores and band work. Hyukoh, the band which recently wrapped up its Asia tour, will team up with Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster, while Balming Tiger will showcase its unique sound. The lineup also includes singer-songwriter Meaningful Stone, Band Nah and genre-defying vocalist Song Sohee, who bridges Korean traditional music and rock. Hanrorro, who recently featured as a guest act at Coldplay's Korea concert, will also perform alongside prominent Korean bands Touched and Lucy. The 2025 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival will be held Aug. 1-3 at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park in Incheon. Around 60 domestic and international artists are expected to perform. In celebration of its 20th year, the festival will also feature limited-edition merchandise and a series of events reflecting on the journey of the Korean rock scene since Pentaport's inception in 2006.
Telegraph
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Pulp's first new song in 24 years might give Oasis a wake-up call
'Something stopped me dead in my tracks, I was headed for disaster and then I turned back.' So sings Jarvis Cocker in the opening line of Pulp's first new song for 24 years, Spike Island. And thank goodness he did turn back. Because Spike Island is a sunny, festival-ready anthem that instantly reminds you how much you've missed the idiosyncratic Sheffield band. Can it really be nearly a quarter of a century since their last new music? Pulp's Britpop-era rivals Oasis may be reforming to play to a gazillion people this summer but, on the strength of this song, Cocker and co have made a case for re-winning our hearts before Liam and Noel have even started rehearsals. Cocker, 61, was recently told by someone in this record company's office that Spike Island and June's forthcoming album (called More) are 'age appropriate' for Pulp. That's spot on. This isn't a banger in the vein of Pulp's most lauded songs Common People or Babies. Rather it's a mid-tempo track that opens with disco bass, a steady drum groove and a sliding guitar line that brings to mind David Bowie's Heroes. Cocker's vocals are delivered in that South Yorkshire half-sung-half spoken twang that's so familiar to us all. The track builds steadily as the verse becomes a singalong bridge before exploding into a soaring earworm chorus carried aloft by strings, a neat cowbell rattle and a couple of Cocker's trademark yelps and 'uhs'. You can almost see his velvet-clad silhouette pointing at you as he sings. The whole thing is impeccably produced by James Ford, the man behind Blur's 2023 comeback album and the last six Arctic Monkeys albums. Spike Island refers to 'Madchester' band The Stone Roses' famous 1990 outdoor gig on a waterlocked tongue of industrial wasteland outside Widnes. Mythical in the retelling, the concert was a huge disappointment to all who were there. Pulp's sardonic 1995 single Sorted for E's & Wizz was named after the incessant cry of the drug dealers present. Likewise, the new song's title comes from a Spike Island DJ who kept shouting 'Spike Island, Come alive!'. It's a bit of a red herring as the song's not really about the event. But it's a neat line, and the Stone Roses' Ian Brown et al will be rubbing their hands that the myth-making continues. Technically, Pulp released a single in 2013 but it was a rehash of an old demo so doesn't count. It's heartening to think that their first new music since 2001's We Love Life could bring in a new generation of fans who weren't even born when they were in their pomp. 'I was born to perform, It's a calling,' sings Cocker. 'I exist to do this, Shouting and pointing.' Too right.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Pulp reveal their first new album in 24 years, and a single called Spike Island
Indie icons Pulp have announced a new album, More, and shared their first single in almost 24 years, called Spike on BBC 6 Music, frontman Jarvis Cocker said the band had been tempted back into the studio by the overwhelming response to their 2023 reunion tour."We did play one new song towards the end of the tour, and nobody threw things at us, or left to go to the bar," he said. "So we just thought we'd carry on and see what we could conjure up."The Sheffield band were one of the biggest acts of the 1990s Britpop era - although their music never quite fit into the backward-looking musical revisionism of that movement - with songs like Babies, Disco 2000 and Common People. Formed in Sheffield in 1978, they sold more than 10 million records after taking a (very) long road to success. After 2001's We Love Life, the band went on a decade-long hiatus. They reformed in 2011 for a number of festival dates, including a surprise performance Glastonbury, and reunited again in 2023. The new single was inspired by the infamous Stone Roses concert at Spike Island in 1990 - a show that has been variously described as a milestone for British indie music, and a disappointing shambles with dodgy guitarist Mark Webber told 6 Music's Lauren Laverne the show had been "a slight anticlimax, to be honest"."I think everyone felt that way," he said. "There was a lot of anticipation but it didn't sound very good, it was very windy and the vibe wasn't there."Cocker said he hadn't been at the show, but had written the lyrics after speaking to various attendees, including musician Jason Buckle, from the band All Seeing I, who co-wrote Pulp's single."All he could remember was a DJ who between every song said, 'Spike Island come alive, Spike Island come alive'," he said."That phrase stuck with me. I've got a very short attention span I think."Cocker said the track was a sister song to 1995's Sorted for E's and Whizz, which was also based on a fan's experience of the Stone Roses' inspiration for that track was "a girl that I was speaking to at The Leadmill in Sheffield one night," he recalled."She said all that she could remember were people going round saying, 'Is everyone sorted for E's and whizz?'. So that phrase stuck in my mind." More will be released on 6 June, and is dedicated to Pulp's former bassist Steve Mackey, who died in 2023, at the age of said that recording without the musician was "weird at first" but that there were "two songs on the record which date from when Steve was around", which made him feel part of the project."It was not the nicest thing," the singer continued, "but people who you're close to, you never forget them, and you can do things to remember them by". The album was recorded over three weeks in 2024, and Cocker said there were "no over-riding themes, except feelings, maybe, which sounds very wafty and not very precise".He said the absence of an overarching idea had given the band a sense of freedom, compared to more conceptual Pulp albums such as This Is Hardcore."We [recorded] it quite quickly, and we were trying to not think about it too much, because that's what kind of made the last couple of Pulp albums a bit of a pain," he said."It was mainly my fault," he added, "because I'd never got the lyrics together, so I was always changing them and messing around."This time, they were all written before we went into the studio, and I realised it was a lot less stressful. "You know, I would always be a bit stressed in the studio, because I knew once the music was done, then I had to write the words. I don't know why I put myself through that," he said. Artificial intelligence video In a press release announcing the record, Cocker added: "We hope you enjoy the music. It was written and performed by four human beings from the North of England, aided and abetted by five other human beings from various locations in the British Isles. "No AI was involved during the process."However, he did employ artificial intelligence to create the video for Spike Island, which animates the infamous "cardboard cut-out" figures from the cover of Pulp's biggest-selling album, Different Class. "All the moving images featured in the video are the result of me feeding in a still image and then typing in a 'prompt' such as: 'The black & white figure remains still whilst the bus in the background drives off', which led to [a] sequence where the coach weirdly slides towards the cut-out of me," he wrote."The weekend I began work on the video was a strange time: I went out of the house and kept expecting weird transformations of the surrounding environment due to the images the computer had been generating. "The experience had marked me. I don't know whether I've recovered yet."After completing the video, the musician said he'd landed firmly on the side of "human intelligence" over band kick off a UK tour the day after the album is released in June but, in response to a 6 Music listener, said they had "no plans" to play do so would require a logistical miracle, as they're due to play two shows in California's Hollywood Bowl on Glastonbury weekend.
