In October 2015, PJ Harvey and the photographer/filmmaker Seamus Murphy staged a multimedia performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The occasion featured poetry from The Hollow of the Hand – the first such publication from PJ Harvey – and some new songs from her, along with photos and short films by Murphy. Many of those songs would appear the following April on Harvey’s ninth, and up-to-press last studio album, The Hope Six Demolition Project.
Earlier this year PJ Harvey published her second book of poetry, Orlam, a novel-in-verse which is the product of eight years of intense writing on her part. Tonight, the highly acclaimed English singer, songwriter, musician, writer, and occasional artist and actress is here in Leeds on the second night of a short UK tour of spoken-word events whereby she will be reading excerpts from Orlam and discussing her work with a series of revered guests. Unlike seven years ago, though, there will be no music so anyone turning up at the Howard Assembly Room this evening expecting to hear an impromptu feral blast of ‘50ft. Queenie’ may be left feeling very disappointed.
By way of an introduction to the evening, and for the benefit of those who have not yet read it, PJ Harvey describes Orlam as being about “a coming-of-age; a love story; a fairytale; a primal world in which a child’s spheres take shape.” With a mischievous glint in her eye, she adds that it is filled with “ecstasy, joy, jokes, filth, and magic.” The book is written in the dialect of the English county of Dorset, with each poem therein accompanied by a standard English version on the opposite page. During her readings, the English translations are projected onto a large screen behind her.
Polly Jean Harvey grew up in the Dorset village of Corscombe in the southwest of England. Her local accent has not been diluted by the passage of time or her international success. And Harvey’s gentle, distinctive Dorset burr brings to her readings from Orlam an even greater authenticity, meaning, atmosphere, and emotional heft.
The evening is bookended by PJ Harvey’s extended readings from Orlam. Her delivery is that of a seasoned performer, her voice ebbs and flows perfectly with the rhythm and beauty of the words she has written. She immerses herself fully in the world that she has created, deftly assuming the personalities of her magical and mysterious characters, capturing much of the darkness, violence, and perversion that underpins their lives as she does so. It is a truly transformative experience listening to her speak.
In between the readings, PJ Harvey chats to the renowned British poet Ian Duhig, a conversation in which she talks about Orlam’s journey having begun around the time of her eighth studio album, Let England Shake back in 2011. She fell in love with the art of poetry, went to poetry workshops, and then travelled with Seamus Murphy to Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Washington D.C., out of which emerged The Hollow of the Hand project. Harvey subsequently met Scottish poet, writer and musician, Don Paterson who offered her a mentorship, and encouraged her to be more bold in her writing, and from that Orlam grew.
PJ Harvey also cites some of the poets and writers who have inspired her, including William Barnes, the great 19th-century poet and linguist who wrote in his native Dorset dialect; Geoffrey Hill, one of the most important poets of the 20th century, paying particular heed to his collection Mercian Hymns; the former Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes; and William Blake and his collection of illustrated poems, Songs of Innocence and Experience. Her deep love of language, its roots, its subtle changes over time, and how it connects us all together is evident.
Whilst clearly advertised as a spoken-word event, music is never so far away. Immediately prior to the start, first ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ and then ‘Nights In White Satin’ are piped over the Howard Assembly Room PA. Both Pink Floyd and the Moody Blues are referenced in Orlam. And then as we leave the building, just like Elvis had done before us, the strains of ‘Love Me Tender’ can be heard. This song serves as a leitmotif to Orlam which ultimately is a tale of positivity and love.
Attracting a creative artist of the calibre and profile of PJ Harvey was a real coup for the Howard Assembly Room and confirms the reputation and stature that this consistently impressive venue has rightly achieved on the UK’s cultural event circuit.
Presented in partnership with Brudenell Presents.
Photo Credit: Steve Gullick
