Patrick Wolf
Bloomsbury Ballroom, London
07/12/2010

When Patrick Wolf was last in our lives in 2009 he brought us ‘The Bachelor’; his dark and rather morose take on love and depression. Tonight’s show, however, introduces us to ‘The City’ - Patrick’s happy and lovestruck new material, due to be released next year.

Bounding onstage in a red jumpsuit plus red blazer, waistcoat and corsage – Wolf is far from shy and retiring, as ever. He immediately starts up ‘Bluebells’ and begins striking poses; his deep, passionate vocals filling the elegant ballroom his fans have duly filled. He’s only too happy to add a dramatic stance or camp flourish to his bold, gothic pop songs. With a hit-laden back catalogue to draw from, ‘The Libertine’ and ‘Hard Times’ are soon dispensed with ease. And backed by a ten piece band, tracks like ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘Oblivion’ come complete with a cinematic sweep – packed full of passion and drama. Wolf’s musical ADD is highlighted too, as the violin strings soon give way to the beats of Berlin dungeon anthem ‘Tristan’ - a timely reminder that there is more to Wolf than windswept countryside melodrama.

Wolf is a figurehead for the misfits and outsiders of this world, his passionate fans identifying a fellow outcast in his sometimes misery-laden music. However, that could change with the release of ‘The City’ as the singer is now writing about subjects like, errr, the government’s plans to increase university fees. Yes, sexually ambiguous eccentric pop oddball Patrick Wolf is going all Billy Bragg on us and introduces his new album’s title track as his “protest song”. In what proves a worrying trend for the four songs showcased this evening, it’s hard to warm to this new material, ironically consisting of more 1980s excess than Maggie backing Yuppie, including spurious use of the saxophone. Elsewhere, ‘Bermondsey Street’ is Wolf’s song about being in love on a sunny day in South London; while it’s nice to see happiness emanating from an artist prone to petulance and upset, the music seems strangely shallow and far from the brilliance of his more soul-searching offerings.

As the set ends with ‘The Magic Position’, easily one of the catchiest pop songs of this century, it’s clear to see why so many people love Patrick Wolf and continue to follow him on his musical adventures. On the evidence of tonight though, they could be in for another bumpy ride.

David Renshaw