Since releasing her caustic debut, Dry, in 1992, PJ Harvey has been hailed as a powerfully emotive and dazzlingly uncompromising artist, equally capable of shaking your bones and getting stuck in your head. As ambitious as she is forward-thinking, Harvey has surfed two decades of musical waves amid polarised invasions of sickening pop music and regurgitated alt-rock, constantly shape-shifting and challenging herself in new and exciting ways to produce a slew of classic material from 1993’s Rip It Up to 2001 Mercury prizewinner, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea.

Eighth album, Let England Shake, was released in February to near-universal acclaim and continues the hard-working and ambitious traditions of her songwriting. Though not a concept album in a linear, narrative sense, it focuses on the myriad aspects and emotions of war and conflict and is the result of nearly three years of tireless research and development. Much less abrasive that some of her previous material, Let England Shake puts its focus on powerful imagery without skimping on affecting hooks and rich, spacious instrumentation. And if critical back-slapping wasn’t enough, the album has also won yet another Mercury Prize nomination, ranking her alongside Radiohead as most-nominated artist. Long live Polly Jean.

Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Sun 4 Sep