Synopsis

Pulp perform "Like A Friend" as a compact studio performance on a large black revolving stage. Jarvis Cocker stands at the center with the band arranged around him, while the rotating platform and changing camera angles give the otherwise straightforward performance a theatrical, slightly dreamlike quality. The presentation emphasizes the song's escalating arrangement and live energy rather than creating a separate narrative. Its stark setting and controlled lighting connect it visually to the more elaborate "This Is Hardcore" shoot.

Factoids & Trivia

• The performance was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London during the same production period as "This Is Hardcore."

• The "Like A Friend" shoot was an add-on to the much larger "This Is Hardcore" production. After the final Busby Berkeley-style scene for that video, the crew placed Pulp's instruments on the revolving stage and filmed the performance in about one hour.

• The video was made in connection with the 1998 film "Great Expectations," which featured the song on its soundtrack.

• The song was not originally a standard Pulp single. It appeared as a B-side to "A Little Soul" and was also included on the "Great Expectations" soundtrack.

• A separate version associated with the song was produced for US music television using footage from "Great Expectations." This means the circulating film-performance clip is distinct from the movie-footage version.

• The revolving platform had already been used for the striking "eye of the storm" sequence in "This Is Hardcore."

• Although the video is often dated to 1998, the Pinewood performance itself was filmed during the early-1998 "This Is Hardcore" sessions, before the song's later soundtrack and television exposure.