PJ Harvey - 50 Ft Queenie

What this video is

Released April 1993 on Island Records as the lead single from Rid of Me, PJ Harvey's second studio album produced by Steve Albini. The video arrives at a pivotal cultural inflection point: grunge's commercial breakthrough had opened major-label doors for abrasive, female-fronted alternative rock, yet Harvey's aesthetic remained deliberately lo-fi and confrontational rather than MTV-polished. The song and video…

Why it matters

A foundational document of the UK punk-blues and noise-rock video aesthetic of the early 1990s. The video's stripped, performance-only format — no narrative, no spectacle — became a template for authenticity-first alternative rock visuals. It establishes the Mochnacz/Harvey visual language of…

The director

British photographer and music video director trained in fine arts at Coventry Polytechnic (1983–86). Has worked with musicians and bands since 1991, spanning music videos, album sleeves, and artist styling. Best known for her long-term collaboration with PJ…