The Music Slut


6.4.07

Patrick Wolf @ Hiro Ballroom: The Fabulous Mess We're In

I've been waiting four excruciating long years to see Patrick Wolf in the flesh. Last night marked his first show in NYC since touring for his debut, Lycanthropy, back when he was just a teenager. There was no way in hell I was missing this gig. Rain, sleet, snow and/or a confused cab driver was not going to hold me back on this time around.

When Patrick entered the stage, somewhere around midnight, and began the set with a stunning rendition of The Magic Position-opening 'Overture', I knew I was going to leave this show more than elated. In spite of the brief set (clocking in around 40 minutes), Patrick somehow managed to gain the trust of the 'rookies' in the crowd while satiating every long-term fan as well. Seriously, the woman next to me looked like she was going to have some sort of breakdown. I've never seen tears flow that quickly out of anyone!

The rest of the set featured not one, not two, but THREE outfit changes. As far as the setlist for the evening, it was pretty evenly split between all of Patrick's releases to date, including a cover of 'Moon River'. Perhaps the second most well-received tune of the night (the first being 'The Magic Position') was Wind In The Wire single 'Tristan'. The track was played with such vigor that Patrick was literally falling over himself at various points during the song.

In fact, while Patrick quietly juggles back and forth bewteen ukelele, keyboard and violin, he is probably most recognized or at least, most applauded for his distinctive dance moves/stage presence.

During main-set closing 'The Magic Position', Patrick requested that we dance like he does in the song's video. That dance includes a left and right foot stomp during the song's chorus, which most of the crowd (at least in the front) was actually partaking in. Though, as Patrick described, the move did not go over well with the video's choreographer, we happen to think it's a charming little 1-2 step.

Ending the show was an impromptu cover of Frank Sinatra's staple 'New York, New York'. For those of you who read our site regularly, you'll know that this felt like deja vu for the sluts as we just saw The Fratellis cover the same tune, just two weeks prior (our reviews of those shows, including a video of the cover, can be found here & here). While The Fratellis' rendition had an acoustic flair to it, Patrick's had a similarly delicate feel to it. There's something irresistably charming hearing the song covered live that will never grow old for me.

Patrick's The Magic Position will see the light of day this side of The Atlantic on May 1st. Last night, he promised us many visits throughout the year. I'm holding him to that!

Missed last night's show? Not to fret - Patrick will be at Studio B tonight (supposed set time is 11:30 although for those of you who have been to Studio B, you already realize that probably translates into 1am) in Brooklyn, and at MisShapes @ Don Hill's on Saturday evening.

Setlist: Overture/Get Lost/Tristan/The Childcatcher/The Libertine/Moon River/The Magic Position//Bloodbeat/New York, New York

MP3: Patrick Wolf - The Childcatcher

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

SUCH A GOOD SHOW. you sluts are right on the mark.

judging from the angle of your pics, are you the guy with the flash with the DIY diffuser?

12:03 PM  
Blogger m said...

great show indeed.

thanks for the kind words but these shots are just from my digicam, believe it or not.

will u be at studio b tonight? if so, say hi, anon.

12:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

let me un-anon myself...
couldn't go to studio b or misshapes, too busy... but one night of patrick wolf will sate my appetite for a long time
seems like we go to a lot of the same shows, so one day i'll say hi!

6:01 PM  

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