Credit Steve Gullick.
Dorset-born musician, composer, poet and songwriter PJ Harvey is to be honoured with a special award for her Contribution to Dorset Music at the Original Music Awards at Lighthouse Poole on Friday 17 January.
Having consistently drawn on her Dorset roots, from the gutsy songs of her 1992 debut album Dry, through the Mercury Prize-winning Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011), to last year’s I Inside the Old Year Dying. In 2022, she published her verse novel Orlam, the first substantial work written in the Dorset dialect for decades.
Polly Harvey grew up on a farm near Corscombe and cut her musical teeth playing pub back rooms and get togethers in West Dorset before joining Bristol-based band Automatic Dlamini that precipitated her forming her own band in 1991 and moving to London where their first demo tape attracted the attention of John Peel, the music press and record labels.
Announcing the award, the Original Music Awards Panel 2024 said: “We are recognising PJ Harvey with this award, not because of her notable successes, but because Dorset has always remained at the heart of her work. Whether it be using soundscapes of Dorset in her creations or writing poetry in the Dorset dialect, it’s very clear that she has always remained true to her roots.
“What we want to celebrate is the inspiration this brings to grass roots Dorset musicians, particularly the younger generation. That in this day and age of streaming music to the masses, as a songwriter and composer you should never be afraid to be experimental, to try new things and continue to discover where your voice and writing can take you.
“This award is for her often unseen or overlooked contribution to the music scene, but one that we think is highly important to recognise and should indeed be celebrated.”
With a splash of red carpet glamour, the annual Original Music Awards celebrate original music talent and the creative services that support it in Dorset.
“The sole aim is to hail this area as a hotbed of musical talent,” say organisers Matt Black and Mel Berkhauer of Hangover Hill, the team behind Live and Unheard, the monthly grass roots music night at Lighthouse.
“Although there are winners, this is not like a race. It’s more like a house of cards – there is a layer at the top, but without the layers below the whole thing is meaningless.
“The music community works because it supports itself and as a direct result of the OMAs there are now more venues across Dorset that are willing to support and encourage original music, which can only be a good thing for creativity in this inspirational part of the world.”
A host of awards will be presented on the night, most of which will see the winners of each category announced from a list of three nominees decided by the judging panel of music writers, presenters, event organisers and PR specialists.
However, the Original Music Awards also feature a number of Special Awards for those whose music, and the circumstances in which it is made, call for wider recognition.
- The Original Music Awards are at Lighthouse on Friday 17 January. Tickets available now at lighthousepoole.co.uk or on 01202 280000.
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