Born in the coastal town of Bridport, Dorset, Polly Jean Harvey picked up her first instrument in her early teens, the saxophone. She later joined the octet instrumental group, Bologne, during her time in school before becoming one half of the folk duo, the Polekats. It wasn’t until Harvey was 19 however that the singer began to grow in recognition with the Bristol-based group, Automatic Dlamini. It was here Harvey met John Parish and Rob Ellis who would subsequently prove to have a huge influence on the musician’s future output. After recording the album “Here Catch, Shouted His Father” towards the tail-end of 1989 and early 1990, Harvey left the group and formed her own alongside Ellis and Oliver.
Initially a trio, PJ Harvey recorded their debut album “Dry” in 1991 for under $5,000, and played their first show at a bowling alley at Charmoith Village Hall. The band’s debut single, “Dress”, was released by Too Pure Records in October 2001, drawing instant and widespread critical acclaim. Following the release PJ Harvey was invited to record a live radio session for John Peel, and recorded the tracks “Oh, My Lover”, “Victory”, “Sheela-Na-Gig”, and “Water”. PJ Harvey’s debut album was subsequently released in February 1992. Highlighting Harvey’s tremblingly candid lyrics, and raw heavy-hitting guitar, the musician was later named Rolling Stone’s Best Songwriter and Best New Female Singer in late 1992.
After singing with Island Records in mid-1992, the trio enlisted the help of producer Steve Albini to aid the recording of their sophomore “Rid of Me”. Featuring a punk-infused cover of Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited”, the full-length was released in May 1993. In support of the record, PJ Harvey embarked on an extensive tour of the UK, before heading to the U.S. in the summer, which is where tensions stated to rise between members. Following a final tour as a trio in support of U2 in August, the group announced it had disbanded with Polly Harvey continuing as a solo artist.
Her debut solo album, “To Bring You My Love”, arrived in February 1995 extolled by critics, and followed by her last full-length of the millennium “Is This Desire?” in 1998. Marked by themes of love and affection, and winning the 2001 Mercury Prize, PJ Harvey’s fifth studio album “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea” was released in October 2000. Cementing the multi-instrumentalist’s position as an uncompromising, wildly-talented, high-integrity music maker, the record was seen as her finest to date. The studio album “Uh Huh Her” appeared in 2004 in which Harvey played every instrument on the album, followed by “White Chalk” in 2007. Winning her second Mercury Prize, PJ Harvey’s eighth studio album “Let England Shake” was released in February 2011.
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Two Door Cinema Club
