Folk-tinged rock rouses thousands in London FOR THE FINAL DAY LIVE AT GUNNERSBURY PARK WITH PJ HARVEY

★★★★☆ (4/5)

PJ HARVEY CLOSING LIVE AT GUNNERSBURY PARK LONDON FOR 2024
PHOTOCREDIT: PHOEBE FOX

Sunday saw Gunnersbury Park play host to a collection of folk megastars. Within the leafy surroundings, a medley of fiddles, flutes and fenders delighted the thousands in attendance.

Support act, the New York band Big Thief brought their alt-rock-tinged brand of folk. Treating the audience to a 10-song sonnet their setlist consisted mostly of new material which is yet to be released, however, this did little to dampen the enjoyment of the crowd. The band’s poetic lyricism was on full display and was perfectly accompanied by an impressive rhythm section which drove the performance forward.

After a lengthy changeover, it was time for the inimitable musical styling of PJ Harvey.

Deftly weaving lyrical prowess with enchanting instrumental performances, Harvey made her way through a set which covered her decades-spanning discography thoroughly. The evening contained many tracks from 2023’s “I Inside the Old Year Dying” and worked back to 1992’s “Dry”.

Weaving between acoustic-driven folk and driven rocking guitars, Harvey demanded attention throughout. In the audience, there were faces transfixed by the unique stage presence on display.

The first half of the set consisted of mostly tranquil tracks which served to demonstrate the impressive sound quality of the venue and performers. Even in the vast expanses of the park, it was easy to pick up the subtle nuances within each song as they incorporated traditional instruments alongside electronic sounds and recorded samples for texture.

As the sun set, an orange supermoon hung in the sky. Very apt for the night's mystical tone.

As if on queue, the moon heralded the latter half of the evening during which many rockier tracks were exhibited. These did a great job of jolting the crowd and maintaining their attention. Classic “50ft Queenie” rode its muscular riff alongside punk lyrics. Further 90’s guitar tones were dug up on the defiant “Man-size”, which further showed the sheer power of Harvey and her band as they delivered another thunderous performance.

Capping off the ethereal set with the iconically sullen duo “C’mon Billy” and “White Chalk” Harvey left the crowd utterly spent. As the assembled thousands filtered out from Gunnersbury Park, it seemed clear that the fans in attendance were in a heady glow from seeing one of their favourite artists in a magical venue.