I don’t think the bizarrely addictive www.celebheights.com has got it right. Jarvis Cocker is not 6’2″. He must be at least 7 foot tall, which made it seem all the more strange when he hobbled onto the stage of the Dome with a particularly small walking cane. “This is the first time I’ve got this cane out in public” he told the crowd to rapturous applause in his unassuming Sheffield accent, before trying to balance it against his keyboard unsuccessfully. He fumbled around for a while, bending down awkwardly, before leaving it next to the drum kit. The whole thing was reminiscent of that scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where Willy Wonka hobbles to the gate of the factory in front of an expecting crowd (if you haven’t seen it, make sure you do…now) and everyone watches in stunned disappointment. This wasn’t the entrance we were expecting… Then the music started.

Words and Photographs by Matthew Hodson (www.matthewhodson.com)