Eccentric, flamboyant, melodramatic and diva-esque are just some of the words that have been used to describe Patrick Wolf, but boring or mediocre never get a look in. So if one thing is guaranteed, it’s a show.
Tonight is the last gig but one of Wolf’s UK tour to promote his new album The Bachelor. He plays several songs from the new record including Hard Times, Blackdown, and the latest single Vulture. They are well received, and it would be hard not to get swept up in those beautiful and rousing string arrangements partnered with electronic beats, synths and cries for revolution.
Appearing in white cloak with epaulettes of raven black feathers and eyes and arms shimmering with blue glitter, and with Britney mic firmly planted on his cheek, he crawls, climbs, prays, prostrates, pleads at one point he jumps into the crowd leaving the stage entirely for a walk around through the audience, prompting one fan to tell me afterwards; “He was right in front of me, I didn’t know what to do, I was soo excited!”
Backed with a double bass, violin, percussion, ukulele and guitar, Wolf himself moves between instruments picking a new one up at the start of every song, however, it is Wolf’s generosity and humour that really comes across during the set; the way he rants against the right-wing press and praises the audience “English audiences are great!”
Rambling on for minute after minute, when the news arrives on the stage that they only have two minutes left before the power will be turned off he says: “Two songs was that? Two songs, I’m just going to keep going like a non-racist Ken Dodd.”
One thing’s for sure though, no matter when the show ended, disco banging string fest Hard Times gave fans their money’s worth, and the treasured Wolf classic, Magic Position, really ended the show on a high. Brilliant!
Leonie Tancred
Tagged in Patrick Wolf