The Evolution of P.J. Harvey: From Guitarist to Captivating Frontwoman
since the breakup of her trio, P.J. Harvey has rarely been seen wielding a guitar on stage. During the tour for her 1995 album, To Bring You My Love, which marked her third studio effort and her first true solo venture, she made the bold decision to forgo the instrument altogether. This shift allowed two talented guitarists, her long-time collaborator John Parish and session musician Joe Gore, to take on the task of bringing the album’s raw and intense sound to life.
gore recalls the mixed reactions from fans when he joined the ensemble: “People would often ask, ‘Why? I love the way she plays!’”
(Image credit: Goedefroit Music/Getty Images)
In a feature for Guitar Player, Gore reflected on the challenge of stepping into Harvey’s shoes. “I understood their concerns,” he wrote. ”I too was captivated by the fierce musicianship that had garnered Polly a devoted global fanbase and critical acclaim for her initial albums.”
Physicality and Performance Art
Harvey elaborated on her decision to step away from the guitar in that same interview, emphasizing the physical demands of performing. “I stopped playing live as of my singing,” she explained. “I’m not built large, so balancing a guitar while singing is exhausting. I can’t express the songs the way I envision them with a guitar in hand.”
(Image credit: Alamy)
Interestingly, harvey was the mastermind behind the album’s guitar sound.While Parish focused more on percussion than guitar, Gore described his role as adding “texture and colour” to Harvey’s powerful riffs.
After her trio disbanded in 1993, Harvey became fixated on the meticulousness of her home recordings. “I never anticipated that I would want to replicate my demos so closely,” she confessed. “I initially aimed to form a band to explore different interpretations of the songs, but I realized I couldn’t settle for that. I craved precision, and the only way to achieve that was to take on much of the work myself.”
“While it’s true that no one plays like Polly, John probably comes closer than anyone else.”
- Joe Gore
Both Parish and Gore were exceptionally equipped to reinterpret Harvey’s guitar work in a live setting. Parish had discovered Harvey when she was just 17 and invited her to join his band, Automatic Dlamini, effectively becoming her musical mentor.
Gore first met Harvey a few years prior while interviewing her for a magazine. She admired his collaborations with Tom Waits, but they didn’t actually play together until rehearsals in London.
(Image credit: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
While Harvey may not consider herself a virtuoso, her guitar playing is characterized by a unique and dramatic intensity. ”She’s not a hyper-technician,” Gore remarked, “but the 90-pound native of Dorsetshire delivers her tough and inventive riffs with enough raw emotion to make even Tarantino flinch.”
“It’s so fat and revolting. I just love the way the bottom string is tuned so low it flops like a washing line.”
– P.J. Harvey
Harvey is also known for her innovative approach, sometimes employing an all-A tuning inspired by stories from a roadie about the Gary Glitter Band. “On my last tour, my guitar roadie shared tales about Gary Glitter, whom he had worked with,” she recounted. “He mentioned that the Glitter Band used an all-A tuning, so I decided to give it a try.”
she described the resulting sound as ”so fat and revolting,” adding, “I just love how the bottom string is tuned so low it flops like a washing line.”
Watch On
As she articulated, To Bring You My Love was critically important for her songwriting evolution. “For the first time, I began by envisioning the mood I wanted to create,” she shared. “Ninety percent of these tracks originated from a desire to establish an atmospheric foundation.”
“I’m having a fab-o time. I’ve got the most handsome band in the world,especially the guitar players.”
– P.J. Harvey
This shift in focus-from technical riffs to atmospheric performance-resulted in a masterpiece. The album sold over a million copies and produced the unexpected hit “Down By the Water,” a haunting song about infanticide that nevertheless became a staple on U.S. radio.
Freed from the constraints of the guitar, Harvey embraced her role as a dynamic frontwoman, confident that her carefully selected duo would bring her vision to life. Yet, she also admitted to a more playful motivation behind her choices.
“I’m having a fab-o time,” she quipped. “I’ve got the most handsome band in the world, especially the guitar players. The only reason I picked them is so I can look at their behinds.”
