Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf at Exeter Phoenix, Thu 22 Nov

Review by Nick Southall

Following his announcement earlier in the year that he’d never play live again, and his occasional prima donna tendencies, you never know quite what to expect from Patrick Wolf»

Phoenix

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Patrick Wolf

Having been born in County Cork, grown up in London and travelled across Europe in an orchestra, eleven-year-old Patrick Wolf was something of an eccentric, escaping from school troubles on a stolen four-track with viola in hand.

After running from home as a young'un to reside in a run-down lodging on the Richmond riverside, he soon garnered the attentions of Fat Cat Records, who provided Wolf with given an Atari and mixing desk to start recording songs 'properly'.

He found the writings of Angela Carter and the music of Joni Mitchell to be a great inspiration - the way that Mitchell brought the folk narrative and intimacy into pop electricity and the way Carter took fairytales and brought out all the symbols of wolves and ghosts to express her own emotions.

These influences can take Wolf's music in bizarre musical directions, as he fuses dark and haunting tracks alongside childlike rhythmic verse.

Following the critical acclaim that came with Wind In The Wires and debut release Lycanthropy, The Magic Position follows a similarly twisted pop sensibility.»