PJ Harvey is a rock enigma. She is fiercely private, but her lyrics and angst-ridden sound give us an insight into her talented mind. Her raw, blues-influenced heavy rock guitars are infectious and full of energy, and her song writing is both tortured and inspiring.
Polly Jean Harvey is a West Country girl, born in Dorset in October 1969 and becoming the lynchpin of the trio PJ Harvey (the band took her name) in 1991. However, she first came to my attention, somewhat late in the day, on a sunny afternoon in Staffordshire at the V Festival in 2003. Of course I'd heard of her and knew a few of her songs, but seeing her live awakened something in me. Most of the songs she performed that afternoon were from her fifth studio album "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea", which had been released 3 years previously and won her the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in 2001. Hearing those songs blasted out by this petite figure proved to be completely inspirational for me, and as soon as I got home from the festival I went to seek out the album and learn more about this mysterious musical genius.
As I mentioned, PJ Harvey began as a trio with Harvey on guitar and vocals joined by Rob Ellis on drums and Ian Olliver on bass (with Olliver being quickly replaced by Steve Vaughan). They released two albums together, "Dry" in 1992 and "Rid Of Me" in 1993, after which the guys left the band and Polly continued on her own. "Dry" was and still is considered some of her best work, and apparently Kurt Cobain considered it one of his top 20 favourite albums. Following the departure of the guys, Polly continued to write and in 1995 released "To Bring You My Love", which achieved worldwide success and sold around a million copies. "Is This Desire?" was released in 1998 and although it elicited a positive response, was less successful than her previous offering. This may have been partly to do with her leaving her more familiar heavy guitar sound to embark on darker, more electronic soundscapes. Next came the Mercury Prize winning "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea", which is where my introduction to Polly began. Thom Yorke (Radiohead) provided vocals on some of the tracks, most notably on "This Mess We're In", which is a truly beautiful and moving song. Studio album number six "Uh Huh Her" was released in 2004, on which Harvey played every instrument except the drums and produced it entirely herself. 2007 saw the release of "White Chalk", which was a massive departure from the punky guitars we came to expect from her, and was principally an album of piano ballads.
As well as being loved by the music buying public, Polly Harvey is revered by her peers and others in the music business. The late John Peel was a huge champion of Harvey's music and she recorded many sessions for his BBC Radio 1 show, leading to the release of "The Peel Sessions 1991-2004". As well as Kurt Cobain ranking "Dry" amongst his favourite albums of all time, his wife, Courtney Love once said of her, "The one rock star that makes me know I'm s**t is Polly Harvey. I'm nothing next to the purity she experiences." In my opinion, Love is being a bit hard on herself, but it shows the high regard that Polly is held in. Madonna is also a fan. Mutual respect has led to collaborations with artists such as Nick Cave, Marianne Faithfull and Josh Homme.
From a personal point of view, Polly Harvey has inspired me. I like to think her punk rock guitar style influences some of my own songwriting. Her longevity and constant desire to move forward and continue to try new things with her music is both admirable and an indicator of her love for music rather than a love of the lifestyle. In fact, Polly Harvey shies away from celebrity as for her it is all about the music. Away from her music, Polly has a reputation for eccentricity, but it's hard to determine whether this is genuine or a mask worn to protect the real Polly from prying eyes. Understandably, she likes to keep her private life to herself and I personally think this adds to the mystery and intrigue of one of the UKs most talented rock stars.
Written by Clare McEwen.
If you are yet to experience the brilliance of PJ Harvey, "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" is probably a good introduction to her work, as it has more of a mainstream sound than some of her other material. Further to that "Dry" contains the brilliantly catchy tunes "Dress" and "Sheela-Na-Gig", and is a must listen.
