Let England Shake - Starting with London's Troxy

When the house lights finally dimmed at 8.50pm, the sparse stage of the Troxy (with a nest of keyboards, drums and guitars stage left, monitors perched on pieces of household furniture) was taken over by the presence of PJ Harvey. Head to toe in a flowing black dress, emphasised by a 14-belt black Ann Demeulemeester corset and knee high boots, the stage character was captured in her crazed black feather headdress - surely the largest headdress of this tour so far? It was as if she was wearing the black angel from Angels in America.

The first strum on one of two tuned autoharps opened Let England Shake and Polly Harvey had the stage and the audience in her hands.

The set was made up of the same material showcased in earlier shows across Europe. But this was not a simple going through the motions.

Firstly, Polly was living the "heavy words" of this war-laden album and on many occasions (such as for The Last Living Rose, or Hanging In The Wire) she held her final poses whilst the lights faded to black around her, seeming lost in the emotion she was trying to express through her songs.

Secondly, the band is much tighter than when they performed a webcast from Paris two weeks ago. In particular, Mick Harvey seems to have settled into his various roles and appeared relaxed, to the point of joking with John Parish about the levels of dry ice accompanying Written On The Forehead. 

But most impressive of all was Polly's voice. On the album, the transition from her White Chalk days of an often fragile voice is not complete; England and On Battleship Hill retain some of that fracture on the album. But in the Troxy they took on a belligerence and drive that gave fresh strength to these songs, and delivered the moving poetic lyrics with new power.

All tracks on the album got an airing, and were occasionally interspersed with careful forays into her back catalogue. Down By The Water and C’mon Billy were particularly impressive as they took on a more gothic feel through the combined autoharp and guitar mix. Big Exit was full of energy, as were a raucous Meet Ze Monsta and Angelene.

For me highlights (of many) were Let England Shake, Bitter Branches, and Silence. The only disappointment was Written On The Forehead, which was about the only occasion I thought the guys were out of synch with Polly.

I've seen Polly four times now, each a radically different sound and drama experience. It is pretty pointless trying to compare this show with Somerset House (Uh Huh Huh tour), the Royal Festival Hall (White Chalk), or the Beacon Theatre New Yorker gig. This was 100% Polly, and I am dazed by the power of this evening's performance and content.

At the NME Awards she said that this was "just the beginning" for her. I've no idea where she'll be taking us in the future, but, on the experience of tonight, it can only be an amazing ride.