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Patrick Wolf is 23 years old and has been refining his talents for more than half a lifetime. It all started 12 years ago when Wolf first experimented with car boot sale keyboards and tape recorders and has resulted in one of the most startlingly original and innovative voices now emerging in English pop music. The roots of Wolf’s music embrace everything from PJ Harvey to Stockhausen and English folk music to the legendary jazz trumpet player and singer, Chet Baker. All this started, however, with a precocious obsession in early electronic music. Indeed, Wolf was barely into his teens when he built his first Theremin, one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments invented in 1919 by Léon Theremin. By the time he was 14, Wolf was performing with pop-art collective Minty. He also began writing and recording with an urgency that caught the attention of an independent label called Fat Cat Records who, recognizing Wolf’s extraordinary potential, gave him an Atari computer and a mixing desk, the tools that helped hone Wolf’s unique production and programming. Stumbling across his mother's Joni Mitchell records led to another insight into the art of songwriting. Wolf left home at the age of 16 and spent the next few years making money from busking in a string quartet and forming a group called Maison Crimineaux, a noisy and rude duo that built its destructive ethics around white noise and pop music. Fate then interceded in Wolf’s life. Maison Crimineaux were asked to perform in Paris, a show seen by Capitol K, the man who went on to release Wolf’s debut album, ‘Lycanthropy’. The album was a chronicle of Wolf's teenage triumphs and disasters. It was not just the songwriting that set his precocious talents apart - the lush tapestry of sounds were used to astonishing effect, with Wolf’s trademark violin and baritone ukelele joined by an electronic carpet of beats and bleeps. ‘Lycanthropy’ was released on a small independent label in the summer of 2003 and was met with enormous critical acclaim. Wolf was also making guest appearances as a viola player with Chicks on Speed and The Hidden Cameras. The Cologne-based label Tomlab picked up the album for America and Europe, the start of a relationship which was to lead to Wolf’s second album, ‘Wind in the Wires’, released at the start of 2005. While ‘Lycanthropy’ was being recorded, Wolf took a year to study composition at the Trinity College music conservatoire in London’s Greenwich, the fruits of which can be heard on ‘Wind in the Wires’, an album that received even more applause than his debut recording. Wolf toured extensively in the UK and throughout Europe. Among his biggest fans were Bloc Party, who invited him to tour with them on their 2005 autumn tour. The year culminated with Wolf’s own sell-out show at London’s Scala and his first major record deal with the Loog label. He spent the winter recording the album in both Vienna and London, briefly previewing his new songs at a concert – called simply An Evening with Patrick Wolf – at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre in March 2006. The new album, ‘The Magic Position’, was released on the 26th February 2007. The album was written, produced and arranged by Wolf and features guest performances by Marianne Faithfull and Edward Larrikin from Larrikin Love as well as contributions from, among others, members of the Symphony Orchestra of Vienna. Source: www.patrickwolf.com

Patrick Wolf @ The Metro 09-12-2009

by Aaron Diaz from AuReview

I had heard quite a few good things about Kyü, their rise accelerated through their win at this year’s University of Sydney band competition. The duo consists of Alyx and Freya, making noise through the use of synthesisers, a glockenspiel, bass drum, floor tom and their amazing ability to harmonize with each other - creating fascinating sound scapes.
Through interesting syncopated rhythms on the floor tom, and layered vocal chants and melodies, Kyü take you to another place. A time when you had to hunt to survive and only the strongest progress in life. To confirm exactly who they were Freya announced “Hi! We’re Kyü, not Danimals, thanks for listening and coming early”. Kyü left the crowd completely spellbound to their chants for the entire length of their support set. After hearing about this band for a while now and only witnessing them tonight for the first time, it confirmed that they are bound for big things.
The Metro was already pretty close to being full by the time Kyü had gotten through about half their set, with the delayed set times working in their favour. The room was abuzz in anticipation for the headliner, England’s Patrick Wolf.
Time passed, the band took to their instruments, building to a crescendo, as the man himself trotted his way to the centre of the Metro stage. Adorned in an olden day style costume and high walking socks, it set the scene for his old toned, yet modernised style of music - filled with the most majestic of all instruments, the violin. Patrick Wolf seemed in great spirits prancing around the stage giving every inch of the crowd on the front barrier the attention back that they gave him.
Earlier in the week, when people would ask “What show are you going to?” my reply would raise interest as to what style of music it was. I guess it is hard to place Patrick Wolf in just one style of music. My initial response was a pop singer who is a little too quirky to be a commercial mainstream sucess. But that raised thoughts on the weirdness of the likes of Lady Gaga. My pigeonholing of Patrick Wolf became less and less accurate, yet still accurate, as the night went on.
The set dabbled in a few songs, which were poppy and would suit the average radio consumer. He also dabbled a little into songs that had a more danceable beat, filled with sampled beats and also the songs, which I love the most that have the beautiful sound of the violin, capable of producing every emotion put together on earth.
Patrick Wolf was quite humorous in his stage banter apologising to the crowd sarcastically if they were disgusted at the sight as he bent over to pick up one of his guitars. He then continued to state his newly found dignity, “As I’ve gotten older I’ve gained more dignity and less modesty. As his loose wearing shorts had a tendency to remain suspended form the skin as he bent over. The his attire didn’t just stop there he had time to change his costume several times, each costume getting more more elaborate but allowing the various layers to peel away as he sweated his way through the set.
The set was highly entertaining he had every member of the audience at the tip of his finger tips and at one stage, left the stage and let the crowd have him at their finger tips as he precariously knelt on the barrier letting the admirers view him from close up.
The only disappointment was that Oblivion one of my favourites off the latest album wasn’t played. Though I guess the spoken word sections done by Tilda Swinton would have been performed through backing tracks. On the upside my other favourite from ‘The Bachelor’, Theseus was played.
Sadly the night had drawn to a close and Patrick Wolf had entertained the crowd well, giving everyone their moneys worth and more. He did mention that he would be entering the studio in February to release a new album and will be returning to our shores soon leaving the crowd with the question. “I’ll be back, but will you be back?”

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