There are few artists I have loved as long as PJ Harvey. I remember when she played This Is Love at a V Festival (remember those?) as an early teen and thinking, “How do I become like her?” So naturally, but a few years later, seeing her at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt was non-negotiable.
Last year, I had the privilege of seeing Harvey and her band play Primavera Sound in Spain, in a suitably dramatic downpour. Towels were rushed onto the stage as discreetly as possible, we prayed no one would be electrocuted as Harvey simply continued and floated across the stage, as though the elements were of her own design. But the Opera House show felt very different.
A clear night, heat and humidity, an almost full moon and a nip of Archie Rose whisky was the backdrop to this performance. Harvey and her band (who embodied the medieval folkloric) opened the set with Prayer at the Gate, stating her intent that this would be a show dedicated I Inside the Old Year Dying, a commitment to her recent artistry and not a show for beginners who just wanted the hits. Perhaps because it was one of the first tracks I heard, but A Child’s Question, August was the highlight of the new material, “love me tender, tender love.”
As one of the trainspotters of Harvey shows, I was delighted that she played The Desperate Kingdom of Love as she had in Primavera, although not dedicated to the late great Steve Albini this time, Uh Huh Her is a uniquely special record. The sophistication and musicianship of her band did not change drastically even when playing older songs which (although never easy) may be seen as musically simpler. To Bring You My Love and Dress felt like a necessary release after the introspection of the first part of the set.
Perhaps the largest take away from the set was the grace with which Harvey moves, performs, sings and writes. She literally sat down to write a note, what she put down remains a mystery. One can only hope that it was a poem to remember the evening with love and beauty, as the audience will no doubt remember her performance.
