The former Pulp frontman is back with new band Jarv Is, unable to resist his holy grail: the perfect pop song. He talks about the death of mainstream politics – and how he still believes in the good of common people

Jarvis Cocker has packed a lot into his 55 years. For 26 of them he fronted Pulp, who created one of the genuinely era-defining songs of the 1990s with Common People. He made seven albums with Pulp, has made two solo albums and written songs for the likes of Marianne Faithfull and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Other extra-curricular activities range from appearing on Question Time to starring in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. But it’s not enough.

“My output isn’t as much as I would have hoped,” he says, softly. “I’ve always felt that.”