In a year already brimming with musical nostalgia and surprise comebacks, two Glastonbury Festival alumni are making headlines for very different—yet equally compelling—reasons. Pulp, the iconic Britpop band whose 1995 album Different Class helped define an era, have announced a lavish 30th anniversary reissue of their breakthrough record. Meanwhile, James B Partridge, a former teacher turned viral sensation after his own Glastonbury moment, is embarking on a nationwide tour that promises to bring the infectious joy of school assemblies to audiences across the UK. Both stories, woven together by the enduring magic of live performance and the power of communal song, are reminders of how music can shape—and revisit—our most cherished memories.
Let’s start with Pulp, whose announcement has sent waves of excitement through fans old and new. According to Consequence, the band will release the expanded edition of Different Class on October 24, 2025, via Island Records/UMe. This isn’t just any reissue: it’s a celebratory box set, available in both 4xLP and 2xCD formats, that features a remastered version of the original album and, for the first time ever, audio of Pulp’s legendary set at the 1995 Glastonbury Festival. That performance, which saw the band step in for The Stone Roses at the last minute, has long been considered a defining moment in British pop culture. Now, finally, listeners can experience the full set as it happened on that electric June night.
The remastering process was handled by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road Studios, with frontman Jarvis Cocker and guitarist Mark Webber overseeing the work to ensure that the audio quality matches their original vision. As Cocker himself explained in a statement, the band was determined to deliver a true ‘pop’ album back in 1995—even if that meant pushing the limits of vinyl technology. “We were obsessed with the fact that this was our ‘Pop’ album (we had finally achieved some ‘popularity’ when ‘Common People’ was a hit) and, as everyone knows, all pop albums have 12 songs on them: 6 tracks per side. Only problem: this took the running time of the record to 53 minutes. We were told this would compromise the audio quality of the vinyl record — but we were more bothered about not compromising the quality of our Pop Dream. Now, 30 years later, we are finally ready for Different Class to be heard in all its glory. Different Class indeed.”
The original album, released in October 1995, debuted at number one on the UK Album Chart and spawned four Top 10 hits, including the anthemic “Common People” and the double single “Mis-Shapes/Sorted for E’s & Wizz.” For many, these songs were the soundtrack to a generation—bittersweet, witty, and unafraid to tackle the complexities of class and culture. The new edition goes even further, offering a 28-page booklet packed with previously unseen images and an essay based on fresh interviews with the band, giving fans a deeper look into the making of the album and the whirlwind years that followed.
Of course, Pulp’s story doesn’t end with nostalgia. Earlier this year, the band released More, their first album of new material in nearly a quarter-century—a move that took fans by surprise and delighted critics. They are currently on a North American tour in support of the new record, with dates spanning the U.S. and Canada throughout September 2025. Stops include Washington, DC; Philadelphia; Queens, NY; Boston; Toronto; Detroit; Minneapolis; Denver; and two special nights at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the latter featuring LCD Soundsystem as special guests. Tickets, predictably, are in high demand.
For those who remember Pulp’s meteoric rise, the inclusion of the Glastonbury 1995 set in the anniversary release is particularly meaningful. That night, the band filled in for The Stone Roses at the last minute, taking the Pyramid Stage and, in many ways, capturing the spirit of Britpop at its zenith. Until now, fans have had to rely on grainy bootlegs and scattered memories. The new release promises to set the record straight—quite literally—by presenting the show in pristine, remastered audio.
But Glastonbury’s influence stretches far beyond the world of Britpop. Enter James B Partridge, whose story proves that the festival can launch careers in the most unexpected ways. Partridge, a teacher by trade, first gained attention by posting videos of himself performing classic school assembly songs for his students. As reported by the Bournemouth Echo, those videos quickly found a wider audience, leading to the creation of Primary School Assembly Bangers and, eventually, to a breakout performance at Glastonbury Festival itself. From there, Partridge’s career has taken off in directions he could hardly have imagined.
This winter, he’s bringing that same sense of communal joy to Dorset and beyond with “The Big Christmas Assembly,” a nationwide tour packed with nostalgic Christmas hits and beloved primary school classics. Partridge will perform at the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre on November 18 and the Swanage Mowlen Theatre on November 29, offering audiences a chance to relive the magic of childhood singalongs and festive assemblies. “I’ve always loved how the songs we sang as children at Christmas time brought so much joy and excitement,” Partridge said in a statement. “The Big Christmas Assembly is a celebration of those songs and the fun we had, whether it was singing in assemblies or practising for the Christmas nativity. I can’t wait to see the audience relive those moments.”
Partridge’s journey from the classroom to the country’s biggest stages is a testament to the power of music to connect people across generations. Since his Glastonbury breakthrough, he has performed with Gareth Malone’s Voices at the Royal Variety Show and provided vocals for major artists like Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and Electric Light Orchestra. Tickets for his shows are available now at jamesbpartridge.com, and if early demand is any indication, audiences are eager to embrace the nostalgia and warmth that Partridge brings to the stage.
It’s hard not to draw parallels between Pulp’s meticulously crafted pop anthems and Partridge’s joyful celebration of assembly favorites. Both acts, in their own ways, are tapping into the communal spirit of music—the way a song can transport us back to a specific moment, whether that’s a muddy field at Glastonbury or a school hall decked out for Christmas. And both are reminders that, no matter how much the world changes, the simple act of singing together can still bring us closer.
As autumn approaches, music fans have plenty to look forward to: a landmark reissue from one of Britpop’s greatest bands, a new album and tour from the same group after decades away, and a chance to rediscover the joy of childhood songs with a teacher who became a festival sensation. In a landscape often dominated by fleeting trends and viral hits, these stories stand out for their authenticity, their heart, and their celebration of what makes music truly special.
Whether you’re queuing up for Pulp’s remastered Different Class or dusting off your favorite assembly songbook for James B Partridge’s Christmas show, one thing’s for sure: some tunes never get old, and some performances are worth waiting decades to relive.
