Sundark and Riverlight

A relatively small but dedicated band of followers turned out to see Patrick Wolf at the Gate Arts and Community Centre on 7^th November. Touring on the back of his latest release 'Sundark & Riverlight' – an album of acoustic versions of songs selected off of his previous albums – Wolf is marking ten years since becoming a recording artist, and what a great ten years they have been.

 

Showcasing some of his finest songs in their most stripped down form (he is accompanied by a violinist, an oboist and a cellist but rarely more than one) he dances from piano to ukulele to harp to viola, his voice soaring easily over the all-familiar notes. Playing tracks as early as 'Tristan' right through to 'Time of My Life' and 'House' from his 2011 album 'Lupercalia', he shows a care and love for all the music that he has created.

 

Although the acoustic has worked better on some songs than others ('Hard Times' is much less powerful than the original) others are infused with a new warmth and meaning, such as 'Oblivion' and 'Paris'. 'London', too, has perhaps improved under a more mature touch – Wolf himself admits to reconnecting with the song saying 'I used to not like it, but now I do.'

 

Despite technical hitches, Wolf remained unfazed and the audience unperturbed, laughing at a failed visual. After forgetting how a song went he joked 'You're never going to want to come to any of my concerts again.'

 

After cutting an ambitious 25-track set list with the help of the audience, he finishes with a heartfelt version of 'Teignmouth' before his encore, the inevitable but no less enjoyable 'Magic Position'.

 

At the end of this ten year journey Wolf has proved himself to be a strong performer and a flexible and talented musician. This tour and record are the perfect celebration of everything that has come so far.

The support was called Abi Wade and she was amazing, playing cello, percussion and singing all at the same time.  She is definitely worth a listen (click here).