Thursday, April 28, 2011

REVIEW - PJ Harvey at The Warfield

This is a momentous post. No, that's not the line from 2001, when the astronauts come across the black monolith. But it's just as unusual.

I never thought I'd give a PJ Harvey performance anything less than a 'Rave', but last night the lady under-whelmed. The usually rock-steady performer seems to have contracted a bad case of the Mumfords, because her set was full of folk-friendly gentleness, acoustic instruments and that silly Autoharp she's sporting of late.

Would I have been one of those who boo'ed at Bob Dylan when he went electric? Maybe, but this seems different. I've got the latest CD, "Let England Shake", but haven't yet fallen in love with it enough to applaud the reverse trend, ditching a suggestively dirty vibe for the Pied Piperish-ness of the new PJ Harvey.

The critics universally applaud the new CD, but all talk about the theme, and the lyrics rather than the music.

Shame.

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