Between the three of them, they have made two of the most intriguing records of the year so far. Now PJ Harvey and Bat For Lashes will perform on consecutive nights at the Dome, during seven that have already seen performances from former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.

Dorset’s finest is up first, and will take to the stage in support of her latest record A Woman A Man Walked By, produced with long-time collaborator John Parish.

The pair’s story goes back to the late 1980s, when a teenage Harvey asked Parish’s band to play at her 18th birthday party. Since then, the pair have worked together, both on Harvey’s records and their own criminally-overlooked record, 1996’s Dance Hall At Louse Point.

It’s taken some time for them to release their collaborative follow-up, but the result is a record that has already captivated many critics. Parish wrote the music, which was then sent to Harvey to add lyrics and her own inimitable voice.

From one former Mercury winner (Harvey took the 2000 prize with the glorious Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea) to one of its many nominees, Thursday night will see Bat For Lashes – aka Natasha Khan – return to the Brighton stage.

The performance will be something of a home-town gig for Khan, who recently moved back to the city after an extended sojourn in the US.

The Mercury prize has proved something of a fickle mistress over the years, but Khan managed to navigate her way through the hype and earned some well-deserved exposure from her nomination.

In the meantime, she has spent time in New York, been hand- picked for support slots with Radiohead and worked with the producer David Kosten (Faultline) on her new record.

Two Suns – which was preceded by the gorgeously 1980s-style single Daniel – has already been hailed as a progression from her Mercury-nominated first album Fur And Gold.

With a bigger, more bombastic sound to the album, and a new band line-up that includes Ben Christophers and former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, there’s a certain synchronicity in Khan’s move up to larger arenas.

The critics are already hailing Two Suns as one of the records of 2009 and her more lush, widescreen sound could well mean this is her year.

  • PJ Harvey And John Parish, tonight, returns only, doors 7pm. Bat For Lashes, tomorrow, 7pm, £12.50, 01273 709709