Core guitarist Steve Mackie has passed away

Pulp played seven times at the height of his fame in our country: in Dour, twice at the Torhout-Werchter double festival, but also in the UK at Molenbeek or Brielpoort in Deinze.

Singer Jarvis Cocker and bassist Steve Mackey were the slimmest, two of the best on the Britpop scene. They also co-starred as The Weird Sisters with Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireAt the Hogwarts Ball. Mackey died today. His wife revealed that he was hospitalized for three months due to an undisclosed illness. He was 56 years old.

Mackie was already Pulp’s eighth guitarist when he joined the group in 1989. He had moved to London the previous year from Sheffield—singer-songwriter Richard Hawley was a classmate—to study film at the Royal College of Art. His broad artistic and musical interests helped give Pulp Doll a touch of whimsy that elevated her above average. In the mid-1990s, Pulp was with albums like its ‘n’ its (“Do you remember the first time?”) and different category (“Disco 2000”, “Common People”) A bona fide pop group.

Shown here: Pulp at Werchter in 1998. Mackey is the fantastic bass player behind the big sunglasses

When the group went on hiatus in 2002, McKee pursued a variety of interests. For five years he was one of the curators of Frieze International Art Fair, a festival of contemporary experimental music. Along with his songwriting partner Ross Orton, he discovered young artist Maya Arulpragasam. With her, among other things, they wrote “Galang”, and her career began under the name MIA.

McKee also wrote several songs for Florence and the Machine’s debut album. He has worked as a producer with Kelis, Arcade Fire, and The Kills. Or he amused Cocker by making a compilation CD of the music from Karl Orff to The Fall – and the BBC’s weather forecast for the skipper.

Between 2010 and 2012 he toured with Pulp again, but is due for the tour the band is doing this summer.