Patrick Wolf: Animal whimsy

 I went to this on Friday. It was a fun evening and a very different set to that which I saw the effete Londoner perform as Arcade Fire's support act about five years ago. It seemed as though the venue was issuing access all areas passes to everyone on the guestlist which, as you can imagine, made me feel extremely important. You know you've entered the big leagues when Patrick Wolf is practically begging you to hang out in his back stage area. That isn't a gay joke. It reads like one, but it isn't.

Patrick Wolf

The Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh

8/2/13

Touring in support of Sundark and Riverlight, a double album comprising stripped down re-recordings of familiar material, 2013 is Patrick Wolf's jubilee year. A full decade has passed since the release of his debut and he's marking the occasion by casting a retrospective eye over his catalogue to date. At the ripe old age of 29, he can no longer be marvelled at as a precocious wunderkind, nor can he hide behind layers of electronic production, at least for the time being. Tonight finds him fronting an acoustic four-piece and performing with a clarity of vision largely absent from his previous work.

He may be heard pondering “what road to be choosing” on set opener 'The Gypsy King', surely an acknowledgement of the career crossroads at which he finds himself, but Wolf is undoubtedly enjoying the freedom and spontaneity that his current ensemble affords him. Backed by swelling accordion and fiddle, he's hit upon a rich vein of Weimar cabaret pop and excels in playing the part of a melodramatic troubadour. His voice has matured into a guttural growl reminiscent of Edwyn Collins' and he teases beautiful notes from his ukulele without a hint of twee gimmickry. His older material clearly retains a great deal of meaning to him and he approaches the songs with vigour and purpose.

Bare bones takes on the likes of 'Overture' and 'Pigeon Song' are brave and moving, but Wolf's willingness to delve into his past is balanced by a desire to reflect on his current circumstances. As such, unfortunate moments of saccharine sentimentality creep into the set, most notably on 2011's 'House', played tonight as a po-faced ode to domestic bliss. However striking it is to see Wolf in this context, it's during these moments of self indulgent sincerity that the audience finds itself craving just a little more artifice from the performer.

Lewis Porteous