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.
