Contrary to understandable but misguided popular belief, PJ
Harvey does not belong in the waify indie chick-rocker
department. Her second of two sold-out shows at the Zodiac
demonstrated that she is straight-ahead hardcore. Unlike other alternative female acts that are gaining fans and
press attention, PJ Harvey doesn’t do onstage mind games or
hysteria; with her it’s all professionalism and power.
Thursday’s performance was an elegant example of lo-fi
purity. The band, as revealingly minimal yet unyieldingly tight as
Harvey’s yellow tube-tee dress, maximized the Zodiac’s
primitive overkill sound system with forceful, stripped,
percussion- driven renditions of old favorites, along with newer
songs. Harvey’s unique vocals ran their gamut from the
controlled schizophrenia of ‘Taut’ to the lovely,
lyrical energy of ‘Good Fortune’. If this show is any indication, Harvey’s sixth studio
release, Uh Huh Her, will be more of a return to her earlier work
than the lush production of Stories. ‘Who The Fuck’ and
‘Uh Huh Her’ showcase Harvey’s selfdeprecating
angry freak-outs; ‘Shame’ and ‘You Come
Through’ (played during the second encore) recall the dark
lo-fi mastery of earlier albums while achieving the accessibility
of Stories. The two encores may have been the highlights of the show. The
building persistence of the percussion on ‘A Perfect Day
Elise’ and ‘To Bring You My Love’ empowered two of
Harvey’s most ethereal and wrenching songs, respectively, to
new, hardhitting heights of catharsis. And, we got to see the
dress again.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004
Live: PJ Harvey @ The Zodiac
