PJ Harvey
24th January 2017
Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Kate Taylor, Photography by Doug Peters.
It’s always interesting to head along to a show with no support act, there’s an added energy to the evening that increases as the minutes tick out towards the main artist kicking off. PJ Harvey at Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland was definitely one of those cases, the congregated milled about looking for places to buy some sip-sip; or find a spot to watch one of the most innovative performers to come out of the 90s alternative / folk / rock scene. As the time spent waiting swelled and expanded into the space the bubbling dissonance of chat ebbed and splashed into my ears instead of some soundie’s mixing album of choice.
As darkness enveloped the stage area the bubbling of chat morphed into a polite woo as the crowd awaited the first glimpse of their priestess. Parked right at the stage barrier I was ready to be awakened. PJ’s band of sombre men walked out in procession banging their drums, rousing the crowd into cognisance and from my spot, I could see the frame of Harvey placed deep within her procession line immediately suggesting that your focus should be on the whole experience not the fan worship (however deserved it might be) of PJ herself. Harvey’s composure as she emerged suggests she takes herself to a place prior to performing, intimated by the look of pure serenity on her face.
Absolutely mesmeric, PJ and Co. took us through her incredible The Hope Six Demolition Project album honouring the imagery and heartfelt calls to arms that are so wonderfully entwined throughout her lyrics; conjuring the poverty, the injustice and plain depressing state of affairs of the place PJ calls home. In total control of the crowd and her band mates, PJ is beguiling. The economy of her movements is such that it’s almost as if PJ is aware that if she gesticulates too much, she’ll send the gathered into a complete frenzy…but too early.
Wonderfully measured PJ stalks the stage bewitching us, soothing us and infuriating us as we bathe in the content of her words. Although PJ’s energy is ethereal there’s a real combative sense in some tableaus she creates with her band mates. Be it a saxophone battle front and centre stage; or for when theme calls for it, slipping into the background to just become a moving part of a musical machine. During Ministry of Defence, it happened. PJ clocked me with her twinkling eye and warned me, “…this is how the world will end” and I shivered to my core as this transcendent vessel of talent looked right through me; her band mates eyes sealed lost in the beat.
The Words That Maketh Murder, Written on the Forehead, The Wheel and The Ministry of Social Affairs were definitely the cuts that played well on the evening, inducing stomping, clapping and release from the crowd. Pausing to take a drink of water the congregation went absolutely wild to see PJ perform a human task and confirm that amazingly, she is just a flesh and blood being like us. It felt to the crowd to be the appropriate time to yell their devotions of love and song requests, as PJ’s duping delight caused a self-deprecating smile to play across her lips for the briefest of moments.
As the end of the Let England Shake portion of the evening came to pass, PJ and her nine piece band held a mannequin’s pose before launching into a triumphant rendition of 50ft Queenie – all ire, fluidity and ferocity. A sensuous Down by the Water pealed out into the venue as the crowd sauntered and swayed along with PJ; followed by a heady cut of To Bring You My Love. As our time together drew to a close, PJ and her band moved to the front of stage and regarded the audience, allowing the crowd to drink them in one last time before PJ stooped in a deep stage bow, the second of the evening to be fair; but this bow was the gratitude and love emitted right back at us as the trance was broken. Just as she appeared, PJ slunk off into the dark wings of the theatre stage as the gathered collectively breathed out in an almost post-coital sigh; a woman turned to me and with a disappointed yet accepting “Awwwwww” we smiled and moved off into the night to reflect.
Were you there at the Logan Campbell Centre to witness this spellbinding gig? Or have you seen PJ Harvey somewhere else before? Tell me about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Chain Of Keys
- Ministry Of Defence
- Community Of Hope
- Orange Monkey
- Line In The Sand
- Let England Shake
- Words That Maketh Murder
- The Glorious Land
- Written On The Forehead
- To Talk To You
- Dollar Dollar
- The Devil
- The Wheel
- Ministry Of Social Affairs
- 50 Ft Queenie
- Down By The Water
- To Bring You My Love
- River Anacostia
- Guilty [Encore]
- Last Living Rose [Encore]
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Hey, saw this amazing artist performing at Logan Campbell