Am I Worthy?

Yes, Polly, yes and thrice yes!

 

I know that it's barely three weeks since the last PJ Harvey post, a 5-song Tiny Desk concert that moved me to tears. But then last week ARTE Concert had to go and post a 22-song* concert from Paris Olympia...

 

Whereas the Tiny Desk concert was performed as a trio, this concert features a 5-piece band, Polly accompanied by John Parish, James Johnston, Giovanni Ferrario and Jean-Marc Butty. The wardrobe colour palette is sandstone.

Tenth album I Inside The Old Year Dying is played in it's entirety, in sequence, before ten songs from the back catalogue, beginning with The Colour Of The Earth, taking in Man-Size and To Bring You My Love and ending with White Chalk. Truly astonishing from start to finish.

 

0:57 Prayer At The Gate 

5:40 Autumn Term  

9:13 Lwonesome Tonight  

13:46 Seem An I  

16:56 The Nether-Edge  

20:57 I Inside The Old Year Dying  

23:01 All Souls  

27:38 A Child's Question, August  

31:08 I Inside The Old I Dying  

34:32 August  

37:18 A Child's Question, July  

40:41 A Noiseless Noise

45:00 The Colour Of The Earth 

47:55 The Glorious Land  

51:49 The Words That Maketh Murder  

55:50 The Garden  

1:01:10 The Desperate Kingdom Of Love  

1:04:09 Man-Size  

1:07:30 Dress  

1:11:12 Down By The Water  

1:15:35 To Bring You My Love  

1:23:20 White Chalk 

 

* The original radio broadcast also featured To Send You My Love and C'mon Billy, but both were cut from this release.

 

I Inside The Old Year Dying is available from the usual retail outlets in physical and digital formats and has deservedly featured in many 2023 'best of' lists. A wonderful and unique artist, backed by incredible musicians, releases a brilliant album. No surprise, really.

One of my earliest posts (#18 if you're counting) was a Dubhed selection of various PJ Harvey live performances, spanning 1992 to 2016. For your listening pleasure, you can find it here.