Wednesday 12 December 2012

patrick wolf - part 1

so, I thought I'd do a proper review-type-thing about patrick wolf's gig on monday night.

after an interval, members of patrick's band trails onstage, and, having built up a mass of anticipation and excitement that buzzes over the audience in the small, village hall-like venue; mr patrick wolf strolls casually onto the stage. with an unassuming air about him that exudes friendliness and charm. he acts as if he knows everyone; a kind grin is offered to the applauding crowd before he sits down and we are immediately immersed in a heartfelt rendition of 'london'.

I think the 'audience participation', as you could call it, deserves to be talked about in further detail...

when telling of the fairytale inspiration behind 'the tinderbox', patrick concludes with "so this song is by... well, by me," which is greeted with warm laughter from around the room and a giggle from patrick.

prefacing 'overture', patrick begins by asking the room;
"is anyone here still at school?"
I answer, "yep" receiving a laugh from the crowd as my voice carries loud - and very young-sounding - from my seat above patrick's head. he doesn't appear to know where the answer came from, so he talks generally to the audience when he asks;
"oh really, how old are you?"
"15," my voice shakes as I reply.
"is it legal for you to be here?" laughter drowns out my reply of "I think so" before he continues to explain how he used to go to gigs aged 10 and 12, which was "definitely not legal". he then talks about the meaning behind the song, how whether you -as a young person- want to be an artist or an accountant, or are gay or straight, don't let yourself be repressed. he dedicated his performance to all the under-16s (which of course made me feel VERY special, being apparently the only under-16 at the show).
every interaction with the audience is a magical and adorable one; usually resulting in laughter, or a general atmosphere of pure love for patrick from every one of us.


the most memorable performance -though I hate to choose just one - had to be 'the libertine': the arrangement of violin and accordion accompanying patrick's rich voice, heavy with vibrato, emulate gypsy themes as patrick moves around the stage; sweeping hand gestures for every "bow down" as he looks up at the audience through his hair; and then he gets onto the floor as the music slows down, writhing; but still note-perfect to an extent that chills run down spines.
the front row looks particularly besotted as he rolls on the floor, before crouching in front of them and staring as he sings. 

and the vocals are really something in this performance; a sort of guttural effect added to some of the words really hits home the message of the song. the style of singing brings to mind performances of his from previous 'eras' for patrick, such as 'the bachelor'. in fact, throughout the whole show he seems vibrant and ..young. every time he speaks he seems more -almost boyish, in a delightful and infectiously happy way. no doubt, though, patrick's voice is manlier than ever, though it sounds silly. it's more noticable how much he has grown vocal-wise when he sings songs from previous albums.
naturally there was a costume change for the encore; and into a kaftan, no less

needless to say, I believe this was a purely stunning concert and the best of his that I have been to (the first, ironically, was when I was 12). I was completely and refreshingly inspired yet again by mr wolf, and I cannot wait until I can send him (i.e. Bloody Chamber Music) some demos.

so there is my kind-of-a-review; it would have encompassed more and mentioned more songs (the whole show was simply breathtaking), but I fear this is already too long a post and I would go into far too much detail in my post-concert excitement.

none of my pictures were great, but I got some good videos. I'll post them soon.


oh, one more thing, I did get the opportunity to pass on a painting -through william, patrick's fiance- so that's a cool thing. also william was wearing the jumper I saw patrick wearing during a soundcheck in cardiff last year, which was super-cute.

x




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