PJ Harvey, Royal Albert Hall - review - Music - Arts

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Whereas winning the Mercury in 2008 transformed Elbow into an arena act, you suspect that two nights at the Royal Albert Hall (touts, always the most unsentimentally accurate barometer of market value were offering tickets for "less than box office, squire") will be as good as it gets for PJ Harvey.

There was no chat and minimal lighting. Instruments were swapped in silence and darkness between each song. No matter, this mixture of Let England Shake and back catalogue such as the harrowing White Chalk and the unsettling Down By The Water was surprisingly accessible. A sartorial cross between Siouxsie, Sarah Brightman and Miss Havisham and seemingly entranced by her own gifts, Harvey herself remained mostly static.

When her supremely adept band formed a Greek chorus behind her, these brooding, sinister, quietly angry songs were something to lose yourself in. And since nobody was more lost in the music than Harvey herself, there was genuine communion. These shows close the Let England Shake epoch. It has been the best of times.

PJ Harvey plays the Albert Hall tonight. 0845 401 5045

PJ Harvey