Patrick Wolf

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For the Canadian politician, see Patrick Wolfe.
Patrick Wolf

Background information
Birth name Patrick Denis Apps
Born June 30, 1983 (1983-06-30) (age 24)
London, England
Genre(s) Indietronica
Folktronica
Alternative rock
Baroque pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Years active 2002–present
Label(s) Low Altitude Records
Faith & Industry
Tomlab
Loog
Website PatrickWolf.com

Patrick Wolf (born Patrick Denis Apps[1] on June 30, 1983) is an English singer-songwriter from South London. Wolf plays many instruments including harp, clavinet, harpsichord, guitar, piano, autoharp, kantele, organ, mountain dulcimer, clavichord, harmonium, accordion, theremin, ukulele, viola and violin.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Wolf was born at St Thomas' Hospital in London.[2] Born into a creative household, Wolf started his musical education with violin lessons and church choirs. He made his first Theremin at age eleven, and first began recording songs with his violin, voice, and car boot sale organs on a four-track tape recorder at age twelve. At fourteen, he joined and performed with pop art collective Minty. Two years later, he left home. During this period, Wolf earned money from busking in a string quartet and formed a group called Maison Crimineaux, a noisy trio built on destructive ethics around white noise and pop music. He also continued to write and record his own material. A Maison Crimineaux gig in Paris was attended by electronic maestro Kristian Robinson (aka Capitol K), who would then go on to release Wolf's debut album Lycanthropy.

Wolf's ongoing writing and recordings brought him to the attention of Fat Cat Records, who provided him with an Atari computer and a mixing console. During the recording of Lycanthropy, Wolf studied composition at Trinity College of Music for one year. Lycanthropy was released in the summer of 2003. He also made some guest appearances as a viola player with Chicks on Speed and The Hidden Cameras. The German-based record label Tomlab later released the album for America and Europe. His second album of 2005, Wind in the Wires, was released on the same label and likewise met with critical acclaim.

Following the success of Wind in the Wires, Wolf signed a record deal with Loog in late 2005 and began recording his third album, The Magic Position, which featured collaborations with Marianne Faithfull and Edward Larrikin of Larrikin Love.[3] The album leaked onto file-sharing networks in its entirety on January 3, 2007 before its official release on February 26. "The Magic Position" was released in the U.S. on Low Altitude Records on May 1, 2007. Wolf has promoted the album with a concert tour in North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. He has stated that he already has enough material for a follow-up album, and has been previewing some of it in his live shows.

In January 2007, the first of six vodcasts was made available on iTunes. This series of vodcasts includes live performances of old and new material and interviews with Gill Mills. These can currently also be downloaded from the iCast website.

On February 27, 2007, in an interview with thelondonpaper, Wolf raised many questions about his sexuality: “In the same way I don’t know if my sixth album is going to be a death-metal record or children’s pop, I don’t know whether I’m destined to live my life with a horse, a woman or a man. It makes life easier.”[4] In a July 5, 2007 interview with the Sydney Star Observer, he confirmed his bisexuality: "My sexuality is kind of liberal. I fall in love with men and women. I guess you would call me bisexual. I like to have sex and fall in love—I don't like giving terminology for my sexuality."[5]

Wolf performing at Underage Festival, London, in August 2007.
Wolf performing at Underage Festival, London, in August 2007.

In an interview with the NME in June 2007, Wolf announced that he has begun working on his fourth album, which will be a political record sparked by his reaction to the United States during his recent tour. The record is due for release in 2008.[6]

On July 18, 2007, the day after he supported Mika at Somerset House in London, Wolf posted a MySpace bulletin stating that "Mika is a twat", before following it with another bulletin the next day:

“ What I meant was: Please let's put an end to over-marketed, expensive, heartless, tacky rubbish, autotune, airbrush...

I demand justice for good music and firebrands who refiuse [sic] to compromise to be popular.

 ”

Wolf recently headlined at the first Underage Festival in Victoria Park, East London on 10th August 2007 alongside such acts as The Pigeon Detectives, The Young Knives and Cajun Dance Party.

Wolf, along with The Paddingtons, Edward Larrikin, and The View, is featured in a series of photographs by Mario Testino as a part of a campaign for Burberry in August 2007.[7]

Wolf appeared as a guest on BBC 2's Never Mind the Buzzcocks on 13 December 2007.

Wolf is currently planning to release a DVD shot and directed by photographer Brantley Gutierrez in the coming year, first to be shown on a Virgin channel and then released on DVD.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles/EPs

Release date Title Label Notes
2002 The Patrick Wolf EP Faith and Industry Limited 1000 vinyl only. Features the exclusive tracks "Empress" and "Pumpkin Soup" alongside "Bloodbeat" and "A Boy Like Me" which appear on Lycanthropy.
January 31, 2005 "The Libertine" Tomlab First single from Wind In the Wires. Features the b-sides "Penzance", "Wind In The Wires" (Clifftop Demo) and the Nico cover, "Afraid".
June 13, 2005 "Wind in the Wires" Tomlab Second single from Wind in the Wires. CD and limited 2000 vinyl. Features the b-sides "Souvenirs", "Godrevy Point" and "Ignis Fatuus".
October 31, 2005 "Tristan" Tomlab Third single from Wind in the Wires. CD and limited 1000 vinyl. Features the b-sides "The Hazelwood" and the traditional cover "Idumea".
October 23, 2006 "Accident & Emergency" Loog First single from The Magic Position. Features the b-sides "Underworld", "Adder", the Nico cover "Ari's Song" and a live version of "The Childcatcher".
January 1, 2007 "Bluebells" Loog Second single from The Magic Position. Download only.
March 26, 2007 "The Magic Position" Loog Third single from The Magic Position. Features the b-sides "The Marriage", "Augustin & The Secret Garden II", a live version of "Luna & The Libertine" and the Larrikin Love cover "On Sussex Downs".

[edit] Compilations and collaborations

[edit] Music videos

Year Title Director
2003 "To the Lighthouse"
2005 "The Libertine" Pil and Galia Kollectiv
"Wind in the Wires"
"Tristan" Paul Gore
2006 "Accident & Emergency" Maria Mochnacz
2007 "Bluebells" Jaron Albertin
"The Magic Position" Jaron Albertin

[edit] References

  1. ^ ASCAP: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
  2. ^ Patrick Wolf: interview in English. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
  3. ^ Patrick Wolf vodcast. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  4. ^ Mackenzie, Malcolm (2007-02-27). The lone Wolf of indie. thelondonpaper. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
  5. ^ Burns, Sunny (2007-08-17). PUTTING SOME GROWL INTO POP. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
  6. ^ Patrick Wolf begins work on new album | News | NME.COM
  7. ^ Pitchfork: Patrick Wolf Models for Burberry

[edit] Links