PJ Harvey & John Parish
Bridport Arts Centre
12th March, 2009

View: next to Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall

Among family and friends in this quaint converted chapel is the traditional point of departure for all PJ Harvey world tours. Addressing the wardrobe issues caused by her belted shroud with good humour, Polly was on sparkling form, safely surrounded by some outstanding musicians. Sporting more trilbies and mafia suits than a Leonard Cohen convention, John Parish and his colleagues helped Polly to take flight on almost all of the new album and, pleasingly, a good chunk of 1996’s Dance Hall At Louse Point. Extraordinary variety was the keynote, from the gentle falsetto of Leaving California, to the expletiveladen lunacy of A Woman A Man Walked By, and the genuinely barking Pig Will Not (yes, she barks). Particularly exciting was the revival of fantastic older songs, like the lugubrious Rope Bridge Crossing (one of the duo’s finest hours) and Circles Around The Sun. But most thrilling of all was the confirmation that music of this outstanding quality can still command a large, enthusiastic audience. A triumph all round.

Reviewed by Oliver Gray
<< Back to Issue 363

You might also like:

Login Here

Free Newsletter


Subscribe to
our email newsletter by emailing:

anna.bowen@
metropolis.co.uk