12 Songs: PJ Harvey
I knew I was supposed to like PJ Harvey. She’s like the coolest person on earth and has managed to maintain that title despite several style changes and decades passing. But her music had never really “clicked” for me. I am ashamed, it’s intimidating how vast her catalogue is. Entry points are narrow.
Well, I went to see her live this week and went in nervous I didn’t know enough songs or something. But I’d heard her shows are life-changing. How so, I wondered? Her career is so diverse, expansive and difficult to penetrate in quick cram sessions prior to a show, I couldn’t imagine what was so great. So I went in pretty blind — I knew a few hits, I knew her and Nick Cave were an item for a long and tumultuous time but I didn’t know the music that well. My wife does, and for a long time I let her have PJ Harvey all to herself. But I didn’t want to be that guy going with his wife, totally out of place at the show, but here I was, a hits only PJ Harvey fan at her first show in a decade. I had failed to do enough homework before we went. I decided to let PJ take it from there.
I ordered a double red wine for close to $100 and they handed me a bottle in a plastic carafe instead and told me to give the rest to my wife. Good plan.
We finally sat down at our seats (yes, we sat, very elegant way to see a show) with my wine carafe at the beautiful Greek Theater in the hills of LA. I was immediately enraptured by the show. Her movements. Her theatrics. Her stage presence. And that voice. It is perfectly elegant and raw at once and has so much range. Her performance brought forth every emotion and mood and genre that exists and there was not a limb out place at any point. She is absolutely captivating.
The styles of music changed throughout the show, but it all made perfect sense stitched together. In hopes of passing this feeling along, I tried to bring you into the vast world of PJ Harvey with this to the point 12 Songs that touches on some of her various styles in hopes you’ll join me on this new obsession with Polly Jean and I hope if it hits for you that you’ll continue to explore. You will be rewarded at every turn.—Travis Ferré
