The great Polly Jean Harvey edged past 50 last week, with the only disappointing part of that being it didn’t come with a new record – she’s been on a roll for a good long while after all. Wind Back Wednesday flits back 16 years to an interview with her where personas and passion were debated and talk of easing her commitment saw her offer that “It's not like I can distance myself, even after I've been on tour for a year. I can't do that.” And this was before her astounding a

Having been thrilled by Anna Calvi on Sunday night and been put in mind of another small frame/outsize impact Englishwoman with guitar who delivers the kind of visceral show you feel on your body for days later, like fresh bruises, it was time for the girl from the black country. As this review from late 2004 shows, when Polly Jean Harvey wanted to rumble, you were best advised to not run away but - hell yeah! - get in the way, and let her and her band have their way with you

PJ Harvey ICC Sydney Theatre, January 22 There are no coincidences with Polly Jean Harvey. What she offers on record and stage, in her sonic and visual presentation, is not just carefully thought out but minutely calibrated. You can hear it in the way the older songs in a set dominated by her recent albums of history reworked and the present coloured in as history, were all drawn from stories that could easily be mythic or folk tales. You can see it in the band drum-marching

It is a pretty good year when Nick Cave’s intense, deeply emotional – though never easily categorised as “sad” – and wholly satisfying Skeleton Tree has to settle for #11 in the top 20 albums of the year. It’s keeping good company though, with the gentle but persistent piano work of Sophie Hutchings and the anything but gentle reportage of P J Harvey affecting works in their own way, and Rokia Traore, balancing pointed commentary and elegance, a quiet achiever. Weirdly, King

The second half of the near impossible task of pulling 50 songs from 50 years. A mad idea, filled with frustrations at all the ones I couldn’t pick. But, yeah, fun nonetheless. 1990: Sonic Youth – Kool Thing The year I finally got Sonic Youth, or they crossed over to my side. Droll, sexy and sung by one of my favourite bassplayers (along with Tina Weymouth, Bruce Thomas, Paul McCartney & Andy Rourke). Found out recently she’s a pretty cool interview too. 1991: Joni Mitchell –