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Let me say one thing right out of the gate. If you are within a two hour drive of an upcoming PJ Harvey tour stop, clear whatever obligations you may have and make this the number one priority. Harvey’s been a fearless artist her entire career, and the arc has carried her away from the abrasive guitar-centric music of her early records into a more introspective and methodical mode.
Last year’s grammatically challenging I Inside The Old Year Dying (featuring song titles such as “Seems an I” and “Lwonesome Tonight” but also the confounding tandem of “I Inside The Old Year Dying” and “I Inside The Old I Dying”) somewhat mirrors Radiohead’s decision to leave the guitar anthem alt-rock for a more nuanced and measured approach. The reason for the unorthodox syntax stems from Harvey’s poem “Orlam,” which is written in Dorset vernacular and formed the foundation for this record.
The stage set up was simple, almost as if it was designed for a play. A small desk and chair with a glass of water was at the center, just off to the left of Jean-Marc Butty’s drum kit. To his left was Harvey’s typical side kick John Parish and also playing guitar on the other side was Giovanni Ferrario, and rounding out the band was Gallon Drunk founder and Bad Seed member James Johnston who alternated on guitar and keys with an occasional stint on violin.
Prior to the show starting, field recordings of chirping birds were played, lending a bucolic and dreamlike feeling. The pace of the record, played in its entirety, is deliberate and assured. Even the clothing was planned out in painstaking detail. Designer Todd Lynn gave some details via Harvey’s Instagram account. “Connecting the band to the content for the album was key. They would be not only providing the music, but they would represent all the characters of the album; the soldiers, ash wraiths and chalky children.”
Closing track “A Noiseless Noise” capped the album performance with discordant guitar leading the way to the finish, like a hurried passage through a thorny thicket before finding home. Since this was billed as an ‘evening with,’ there was no support act and the second half of the evening took a sweeping journey through her earlier work, not fixating on any particular record and instead giving a sampler from seven different records. Not sure how I missed the “Summertime Blues” reference on “The Words That Maketh Murder” but it was clear as day tonight. “Send His Love To Me” saw Harvey meandering across the stage as in search of something. A stark reading of “The Desperate Kingdom Of Love” from 2004’s Uh Huh Her featured just Harvey and an acoustic guitar. The spacious venue was silent, held in rapt attention; you could have heard a mouse scurry across the floor.
Old favorites such as “Man-Size” (featuring Johnston’s scraping violin) and her debut single “Dress” were played, hard to believe that song is 32 years old but it belies the timeless quality of her talent. One last observation is how similar her vocals are to Patti Smith, in timbre and delivery. Every single aspect of this performance was planned and executed to perfection, the lighting and sound were among the best I’ve experienced and really showcased Harvey and her band in the best possible way.
