PJ Harvey – August 23rd 2017 (Poble espanyol – Barcelona)

Among the musical scene has long been the saying that seen one show by Polly Jean Harvey, seen all.. Nevertheless, despite the summer dates, the high price of the tickets or her recent visits last year to Primavera Sound and Bime on the tour of presentation of her last album, the idyllic venue of Poble Espanyol had a good number of attendance for the first visit of the English outside the cycle of festivals to the catalan city in the last 20 years.

PJ Harvey – Photo made by Esther Vicente for Indieofilo^©

Still with some natural light for the early start hour, the English and the immense band that accompanied her went on stage with military pace to start their concert with the most powerful themes of The Hope Six Demolition Project (2016) as "The Ministry Of Defense” or "The Community of Hope", and then made her only concession to Uh Huh Her (2004), which presented us to the PJ closest to the garage style, performing the shouted out by the public "Shame".

PJ Harvey – Photo made by Esther Vicente for Indieofilo^©

After a block of songs focused on Let England Shake (2011) that surprisingly lowered the mood of the majority of the crowd, the concert took again the epic air with an incredible section of metal winds and percussions that at times remind the Swans of Michael Gira, gradually turning to more uncomfortable sounds that propitiated even three tracks followed of White Chalk (2007), probably the most eclectic record of her entire career.

PJ Harvey – Photo made by Esther Vicente for Indieofilo^©

Her last two albums would return to the rescue of the setlist in an attempt to take the reins of a show that at times rode into anarchy, also showing that the leader qualities of the singer born in the south of England have grown exponentially over the years. There are no more vestiges of that beast that guitar in hand poured rage flirting with punk; Now she does it through lyrics that relate the anguish of an unrecognizable England, thus approaching little to her idolized Nick Cave, not only sharing musicians of the size of Mick Harvey, but transmitting with her voice a sobriety and anguish that hurts, as we can see in the wonderful “The Wheel” or “The Ministry of Social Affairs”.

PJ Harvey – Photo made by Esther Vicente for Indieofilo^©

However, there are still traces of indomitable PJ Harvey, as it was possible to enjoy in the exalted "50ft Queenie", first visit to her more distant past that would be follow by “Down by the Water” with an incredible James Johnston to the violin and “To Bring you my Love”, much darker than in the album and that served John Parish to outstandingly well on guitar. After finishing the concert with the well-known "River Anacostia" choir, presenting the musicians and releasing two "gracias" in her unique interactions with the public, the encores would still have time for "Near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" And "The Last Living Rose", perfect epilogue after the hard week that has lived the city of Barcelona in which she evokes the benefits and the hope of the last rose in a decadent civilization. Returning to the first lines of this review, it is true that there was no novelty in the show .. But who needs it when the show you will pay for has such a high level?.