P.J. Harvey began her grand "live album" experiment in London on Friday. The first song, "Near The Memorials To Vietnam And Lincoln," seemed to go well, with hundreds of onlookers getting cycled in and out of Somerset House.
We've compiled vantage points from several sources, and have provided them below. To get started, here are a couple facts about the proceedings from NME:
- The glass recording cube was covered with handwritten lyrics for roughly 10 songs, which fans could peer at and read through the glass.
- Roughly 25 to 30 people were in the room at a time.
- Fans were able to buy a signed poster commemorating the event for £25 (roughly $38).
From a fan (NME): "The majority of the track had already been recorded - we saw violin being recorded over aspects of it. She was looking very stylish - she was dressed all in black and wearing thin suit trousers".
Another fan (NME): "Really similar to her previous album ['Let England Shake']. I thought maybe she would have changed her style, but she didn't. You felt like you were in the studio."
Another fan: (NME): "It was like a gallery or art installation, rather than going to see a performer. People were a little more mindful. It was a unique experience."
From Time Out: "It seems small, functional, a bit cluttered. There are beautifully sculptural percussion instruments, an ancient upright piano. Middle-aged guys noodle around with bits of kit. Harvey's long-term collaborator John Parish tinkers with a bass drum. And in the middle of it all, just a few feet away on a white sofa, sits PJ herself, tiny and tired-looking, deep in conversation with producer Flood."
From Time Out: "Polly writes something down, puts on headphones, takes a sip of water and launches into the refrain of a beautiful new song, recognisably from the same mould as the war-scarred soundscapes of 'Let England Shake': 'All near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln,' she repeats in her doleful descant. It's transfixing, even when she messes up: 'I forgot that bit,' she says apologetically."
From The Guardian: There's more atmosphere on the audience's side of the glass, in a dimly lit L-shaped space where we are free to wander, look, and listen as the speakers pipe in the sound and the musicians wait for their mojo. It is the same for us, silent and invisible to the crowded studio beyond the glass.
From The Guardian: It is like watching zoo creatures. You want to poke them with a stick, make them do stuff, screw and eat each other.
The proceedings will continue until Feb. 14, at which point Harvey will attempt to have her project completed.
PJ Harvey is recording her ninth studio album as an exhibition @SomersetHouse. Tickets and information: https://t.co/A61TJxQ2Cl #RecordingPJH
— PJ Harvey (@PJHarveyUK) January 2, 2015
