PJ Harvey has become a beautiful connector for Poppy and I over the years, so we were excited to finally share a live performance together this week.
Her voice is a sinuous thread that connects us back to Dorset days and Dorset places, and dredged up some old feelings, those songs took us back, underneath the forest floor, to dark and buried memories. I promised that we would dance if a certain song came on. And it did, so up we went to the dancefloor. My blue-eyed daughter and I swayed, and sobbed, together. The music reached into us and pulled out long forgotten pains and a cathartic release of tears. Other songs just rocked hard, and others were lullabies that soared out above the tall trees into the cool late summer evening.
PJ's craft is so much more than her stunning and commanding voice - it is also her poetry and performance. Costuming and stage presence are all carefully considered, and reminds me that live performances are vital to understanding her full artistry. I have seen her play live several times; in massive festival settings and intimate performances, and there is always a new aspect and a freshness to her raw energy, a torrent of flawless notes, gestures and ideas that are uniquely hers.
The audience - an eclectic mix of old and young, hip and hippy - were captivated from beginning to end.
Her voice is a sinuous thread that connects us back to Dorset days and Dorset places, and dredged up some old feelings, those songs took us back, underneath the forest floor, to dark and buried memories. I promised that we would dance if a certain song came on. And it did, so up we went to the dancefloor. My blue-eyed daughter and I swayed, and sobbed, together. The music reached into us and pulled out long forgotten pains and a cathartic release of tears. Other songs just rocked hard, and others were lullabies that soared out above the tall trees into the cool late summer evening.
PJ's craft is so much more than her stunning and commanding voice - it is also her poetry and performance. Costuming and stage presence are all carefully considered, and reminds me that live performances are vital to understanding her full artistry. I have seen her play live several times; in massive festival settings and intimate performances, and there is always a new aspect and a freshness to her raw energy, a torrent of flawless notes, gestures and ideas that are uniquely hers.
The audience - an eclectic mix of old and young, hip and hippy - were captivated from beginning to end.
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