Sunday Night at the London Palladium

Sunday November 15, 2009

My first gig at this famous London Theatre since Kate Bush in 1979. Though I might have seen a family musical about a big flying car at this venue a few years back. Moving swiftly on.

In fact, parallels could be drawn between both these shows and Patrick Wolf’s performance. Fair enough, there were no child-catchers or flying cars in the Wolf show, but the performance really had a feel of musical theatre, with plenty of costume changes, glitter and atmospheric lighting.

I think Kate Bush is certainly an influence on Patrick’s music, particularly in some of the arrangements. Kate made good use of the large stage back in 1979, and so did Patrick in 2009. The first three-quarters of the show was remarkably restrained and intimate, with Patrick’s vocals really given the chance to breathe.

Highlights of the first half of the set included two of my favourite Wolf songs, Wind In The Wires & the haunting Bluebells.

“Deep in this dream
I let the calmness keep spinning”

Thickets from 2009’s The Bachelor made full use of the accompanying musicians, expanded on the night to to include a choir and string section.

“Just a little further up the hill boy
you’ll be home soon enough”

And then came the promised guest appearance. Marc Almond was unable to perform due to illness, and Patrick kind of gave the identity of the guest away on his Myspace blog “I’m sure my amazing duettist will raise it up! If you know what I mean.” So it was no surprise to see Florence Welch (without her Machine) duetting with Patrick on The Bachelor.

German techno uber-lord Alec Empire brought his box of many synths and trailing wires onto the stage for Battle & Hard Times. The latter song saw the whole crowd rise to their feet, where they remained for the majority of the evening.

The lush, string-driven forthcoming single Damaris was surely made to be performed in an ornate venue such as the London Palladium. The delicate The Sun Is Often Out was dedicated to two departed friends, and the show ended on a real high-note, with the decadent electro-pulse of Vulture, featuring Wolf spinning under a glitter-ball, adorned in sequins and looking like he had stepped straight out of Velvet Goldmine.

A clearly emotional Wolf kept referring to this show as being the best he had ever performed, and how he found it hard to believe that he was headlining the venue after being turned away from the Palladium 10 years ago, where as a teenager, he had had hoped to review a Bjork show.

The was a real air of celebration at this gig, and a feeling that Patrick Wolf is shifting up a gear. If finances permit, I’m sure Patrick will want to use strings again in a live setting, as it brought a real depth to the live show. Heres to 2010, a new album and more shows of this quality.

“The Boy is doing fine”

Set-list

Divine Intervention / Overture / Wolfsong / Wind In the Wires
Oblivion / Paris / Thesus / Who Will / The Shadowsea / Bluebells
Pigeon Song / Thickets / The Bachelor / Epilogue / Count Of Casualty
Battle / Hard Times / Libertine / Damaris / Tristan / Eulogy
Magic Position / The Sun Is Often Out / Vulture

All pictures on this page © Ravenblakh

To see the full set of Ravenblakh’s pictures of
Patrick Wolf at  London Palladium please visit Flickr

Patrick Wolf CD’s on Amazon UK
The Bachelor
The Magic Position
Wind in the Wires
Lycanthropy

The theatrical Patrick Wolf will be performing in Perth December 12th! His creations combine synths and classical instruments- includes the Piano, Ukelele and the Viola. As a result his music is very theatrical and dramatic yet chillingly soothing- it often reminds me of musical plays or music that goes with the climax moments in movies. His voice is similar to the deep mysterious singing voice of Roger Waters from Pink Floyd which fits so so perfectly with the music. So if you love Pink Floyd give Patrick Wolf a listen, it’s a modern version with more electro and less rock but just as dramatic and intense. Then if you like that- go and get your ticket to see him live!

Links:
Patrick Wolf Official
Patrick Wolf MySpace
Patrick Wolf Facebook

Fan videos from Patrick Wolf at The London Palladium, 15th November with Thomas White on guitar and Alec Empire on keyboards (some songs) To save you watching through 3 pages of youtube videos, here’s some favourites of most songs featuring TW. Videos: Magic Position, Hard Times, Vulture, Oblivion, Overture, Battle, The Libertine, Wind In The Wires, The Bachelor (scroll down for more)

MAGIC POSITION x2 – if you only watch one, make it this one…

HARD TIMES x2

VULTURE

OBLIVION

OVERTURE x2

BATTLE

THE LIBERTINE

WIND IN THE WIRES

THE BACHELOR

Eventjes geen foto’s, maar een muziekje..
Cover van The Childcatcher van Patrick Wolf.

(En ja, dat ben ik die zingt en speelt, voor er nog mensen dat komen vragen )

Então, como eu estava devendo, vou postar hoje as fotos do PT. Aliás algumas das que se salvaram e as que saíram antes de minha bateria estranhamente acabar. Essa bateria NUNCA acabou antes assim. Mas enfim…

O primeiro show que eu assisti foi Maxïmo Park, que aliás fiquei MUITO LOCA, mas o ruim é que cheguei uns 2 minutos atrasada e não consegui ficar no meião da galere animada. Fiquei bem na frente, mas  ali acho que só eu e amigs sabíamos quem era Maxïmo Park. Mas quem liga? Cantei e pulei fazendo o maior ECO mesmo. Show do MP não é todo dia. E aliás, foi ma-ra-vi-lho-so. Fiquei querendo mais depois.

Depois voei para o outro Stage pra esperar por meu divooooooooooo Patrick Wolf, e ainda tava acabando o show do Copacabana Club. E me espantei porque estava CHEIO, tipo… minha teoria estava errada e teve gente que trocou Maxïmo Park por essa bosta Copacabana Club. Mas enfim, né? gosto é uma coisa que NÃO se discute.

Ia demorar um pouco pra chegar meu muso daí eu não consegui ficar ali ouvindo aquilo e fui buscar um energético porque eu estava há quase 48 horas sem dormir e com as pernas e os olhos morrendo. Mas não podia morrer antes de ver PW e Metronomy. Nem pensar…

Pois então, voltando pra ver Patrick, fiquei na grade mas bem de ladinho com uma segurança de 60 metros de altura na minha frente, ou seja, várias fotos tive que cortar a cabeça dela, mas até que saíram boas e o show dele também foi maravilhoso. Ele estava bem gay como sempre, cheio de glitter, trocou de roupa 2 vezes e repetia incansávelmente que ele estava amando estar ali e que ele amava todo mundo. Numa das indas e vindas dele do palco pra galere, ele caiu tentando subir de volta no palco. Ali ele ficou e começou á ter orgasmos. Me-mo-rá-vel. Um dos melhores shows que eu já assisti. E pra melhorar, no fim do show, ele veio até mim e eu peguei nele. Morri.

Tudo homem ali berrando pelo Patrick

Momento orgasmos múltiplos

Momento sou uma fada

"Meu lugar favoritoo..." senti um xaveco no cinegrafista

Acabou Patrick, ali mesmo fiquei pra assistir Metronomy. Ali mesmo não, cheguei mais pro meião, mas na grade ainda. Esperei na chuva por uns 40 minutos, observando meu amor fazer a Sound Check (meu amor= Oscar Cash) e observando também o quanto ele é baixo e o quanto aquela calça colada branca estava marcando seus dotes daquele ângulo. Fiquei um pouco chocada também com a quantidade de pessoas que sabia as músicas e o quanto o show ficou cheio e na hora de Sonic Youth. Medo. O show foi maravilhoso também, ai, mas quando acabou deu até dó. Só não curti que Oscar não interagiu, só ficou ali fazendo caras e bocas jogando toda a sua sedução e nem pra dar um oi pra galera… Mas é a vida né?

Essa calça tava uma perdição meu pai....

Ai sofri quando o show acabou. Não queria que acabasse também.

Depois de Metronomy ainda assisti Iggy PoP, que foi muuuuuuuito looooco, indescritível sensação de estar ali. Pena que nessa hora minha câmera já tinha morrido. Depois ainda peguei um pedaçinho do N.A.S.A. e depois rumei para uma after party, aliás dormi na after party. E foi isso.

Foi  maravilhoso o Festival. Podia ter sido melhor se eu tivesse menos morta. Mas mesmo assim foi maravilhoso. Quero maaaaaaaaaaaaaais.

E ah, Metronomy e Patrick disseram que estão programando outro show aqui ano que vem. Galere, se prepare!

(No, not an incredibly belated review of the second Bloc Party album, but a reference to an actual weekend spent in the city it references with a very dear friend of mine. Oh, and the gigs we went to, of course…)

—

Patrick Wolf @ London Palladium, Sunday 15th November 2009

Tonight is Patrick Wolf’s night. Yes, he may have bolstered his usual live band with a 6-piece string section, a 4-piece backing choir, and a smattering of special guests, but he is unquestionably the star of the show.

The traditional grandeur of London’s Palladium Theatre may not be the most conventional setting for a gig, but for an artist who emphasises storytelling and spectacle as much as Patrick Wolf does, it makes a lot of sense. Indeed, for well over half the gig this feels like the perfect way to experience his music, each song like a miniature piece of drama in itself. ‘Overture’, sweeps in on a wave of strings, like the opening of some sort of wonderful musical. The ‘Voice Of Hope’ (not Tilda Swinton herself, but a tall, striking blonde lady) appears in a floaty dress and shiny headpiece to add to the hammy theatrics of ‘Oblivion’. ‘Who Will?’ transcends any accusations of mawkishness and becomes a genuinely affecting moment.

But what’s truly wonderful is the fact that, rather than make this a predictable run-through of his ‘greatest hits’, Patrick makes the most of the opportunity provided by the string section to play some tracks he might not normally include. Sure, we get some of the big hits – specifically, stunning renditions of ‘Wind In The Wires’ and ‘Bluebells’, the latter of which leads seamlessly on from a plaintive solo rendition of ‘The Shadow Sea’. But we also get jaw-dropping rarities in the form of ‘Pigeon Song’(!), ‘Wolf Song’(!!) and ‘Paris’(!!!) – and frankly I could easily forgive the fact that one of ‘Paris’s synth lines appeared to be missing because it’s PARIS! Performed live with a full band! And a 6-piece string section!!

Erm, yes, sorry. Critic. Impartial. Objective. Right.

Equally, it’s easy to overlook the fact that about half the night’s set is taken from the The Bachelor when it includes rarely played cuts from that album, such as ‘Thickets’, which again takes advantage of the string section. The title track also gets a unique airing, with surprise special guest Florence Welch doing an admirable job of performing Eliza Carthy’s role. Ok, admittedly it wasn’t as much of a surprise to anyone who’d caught the clues in Patrick’s Myspace blog like Euge and I did, but it was still a great performance. Crucially though, her voice never threatened to overpower Patrick’s as much as Eliza’s does on the record. After all, this is Patrick’s night, remember? Even when the ‘Voice Of Hope’ returns to perform on ‘Theseus’, she’s suitably reined in, only talking over the intro and chorus – and the song is *so* much better for it. Seriously, if I could remove Tilda’s vocal track from the album version, I wouldn’t hesitate to.

After Florence leaves the stage, Patrick also departs for a lengthy costume change, while the strings are once again put to good use, filling the interlude with the beautiful instrumental ‘Epilogue’ from Lycanthropy. And then, the moment that I’m sure as many people were dreading as were looking forward to – a large black box is wheeled onto the stage, covered in all sorts of synthesisers and a spaghetti-tangle of wires, signifying that Alec Empire is about to arrive. He arrives to a chorus of cheers, but they obviously weren’t loud enough for his liking, as Mr. Empire gestures for a bigger response from the crowd after playing just one note. I was skeptical about his appearance at this gig, and the fact that he then spends the next few minutes forcing some fairly indeterminate synth noises out of his equipment doesn’t particularly do anything to help matters. Finally, after twiddling our thumbs for a while, we eventually hear Patrick’s voice again – and shortly after, the black screen at the back of the stage is lifted to reveal him standing on a podium, dressed somewhat like an eccentric granny (no, really). He then proceeds to throw himself around the stage to ‘Count Of Casualty’, while Empire spends the song producing some barely audible noise that does little to add to or detract from the original.

And then… well, we all knew as soon as Alec Empire was announced as a special guest that it was coming, so we might as well get it over with. ‘Battle’. Oh, ‘Battle’ – that ugliest of blemishes on Patrick Wolf’s recording career. Granted, I’ve listened to it enough that it’s gone from ‘utter abomination’ to ‘almost amusingly bad’ in my mind, but nevertheless it’s easily the worst thing that he’s ever written. Still, the situation is made unintentionally amusing by the venue itself – when you stop to take stock of the situation, you realise that there are hundreds of people sitting politely in an upmarket theatre, listening to someone spouting angsty teenage poetry over a thumping digital hardcore pastiche. Surely, that has to raise a wry smile at least – and if that doesn’t, then the contrast between Patrick’s fervent enthusiasm towards his hero and Empire’s apparent mixture of disdain and disinterest just might.

But even when the ‘Battle’ is over, Alec Empire isn’t quite done yet. “Give us some more!” cries Patrick, with the wide-eyed fervor of a teenager who’s had his life changed by an Atari Teenage Riot LP. And so Empire adds more fairly anonymous noise to ‘Hard Times’, which finally sees the crowd take to their feet – sporadically at first, but quickly reaching that critical mass where everyone has to stand up, for fear of having their view completely obscured. And with the demur beauty of the gig’s first half truly abandoned, there’s nothing for it but to go for broke and lay on the high-energy numbers and the big hitters. First, a slightly rockier version of ‘The Libertine’, then the lovelorn drama of ‘Damaris’ – suitably theatrical, but it would have seemed a bit too much in the earlier stages of the show. Here however, it makes perfect sense alongside the equally dramatic, but much darker lyrics of ‘Tristan’. Finally, one last sublime string-based rarity – the poignant ‘Eulogy’ from Wind In The Wires – an overwhelmed Patrick thanks us all dearly for our participation, calling the gig the best night of his life. Putting on a sparkly hat and a happy face, he leads us through the ever joyous ode to love that is ‘The Magic Position’ – even if there wasn’t any more to come, it would have made a fitting ending to the show.

Thankfully, Patrick has a couple of songs left for us. First, ‘The Sun Is Often Out’, touchingly dedicated not only to the man who was the original inspiration for the song (a friend of Patrick’s called Stephen who committed suicide last year), but also to another friend who recently passed away. In deference to the fragile tone of the song, the crowd sits back down for the first time since ‘Hard Times’, listening with rapt attention as the song reached its poignant climax. Then finally, after once again thanking us all and rushing off for another costume change, Alec Empire returns to the stage, and as the band launched into ‘Vulture’ the black screen at the back of the stage rose one last time to reveal Patrick stood on a spinning podium, complete with half a disco-ball adorning it.

Patrick had joked that this was a “family show”, inferring that he didn’t want to reveal too much when suffering from a costume problem earlier. Well, during ‘Vulture’, he pretty much threw that out of the window, adorned only in a silver neckpiece, liberal amounts of glitter and a precariously thin pair of white trousers that did little to disguise the fact he was wearing a thong, thus somewhat exposing his not-so-pert buttocks to the public. ‘Vulture’ itself is an absolute riot, proving far more entertaining than on record and immediately getting the crowd back on their feet. Alec Empire’s contribution was notably anonymous once again, but by this point that fact is just ramming the point home. Patrick’s show. Patrick’s big night. A celebration of all that we love about Patrick Wolf.

I could make a few minor gripes – although I didn’t realise it at the time, the set was perhaps weighted too heavily in favour of The Bachelor (not wanting to labour this point, but ‘Battle’ certainly could have been replaced with.. anything else really). I could say “oh he didn’t play [song]” but to be honest if I started doing that I probably would end up doubling the size of the setlist. The point is, despite any petty quibbles and the jokes you can make about Patrick’s slightly flabby arse, there is one fundamental thing that makes Patrick Wolf’s shows so special (and I’m going to give it its own paragraph):

He always leaves you wanting more.

Even factoring in the time taken for costume changes and everything else, he still played for almost two hours – easily the longest show I’ve seen him play to date. And yet I could have sat there for another hour or more, engrossed in the wonderful music and imagery he creates. Hell, even if he’d have played his entire back catalogue I’d still want him to do it again. Simply put, he is one of the most engaging performers alive today, and he has surely touched the lives of many. If you are one of those people, you owe it to yourself to see him play live – and if you know and love one of those people, you owe it to them to make sure that they do.

Real Time: 1.50 pm. Location: Bench in the “park” in Eastleigh.

Amusing memory from my relationship. I came to this park with him the first time he came to stay with my family, and he sat in a load of bird poo. He only had one pair of jeans so while they were in the wash, he had to spend most of the first day he met my mum in my fluffy blue dressing gown.

Anyway, that just came into my head, but it’s not why I’m here.

I love it when my ipod reads my mind. On shuffle, first thing that came up was Patrick Wolf’s “Wolf Song”, which was great because it’s really windy and there are leaves blowing everywhere and everything feels really ‘earthy’. Then it was Ed Harcourt, “Let Love Not Weigh Me Down”, and I’m going to indulgently write out the lyrics now:

Let love not weigh me down
Let the cursed air be clean
When you’ve lost faith in the human race
Let love not weigh me down

Let love not cause me pain
Let it all seem like a dream
And I won’t regret what I can’t forget
Let love not cause you pain

So let your beauty blind my vision
Let it move me ’til I die
And the seeds of despair won’t be fruits that I bear
Let the beauty blind my vision

So shed all the tears that you want
Run from the places you haunt
If you think you’re lost
Or just double-crossed
Don’t try to make sense of it all
Let the music and words take you back
To the times when your heart wasn’t cracked
We won’t be suffering with drugs and bad medicine
We’ll drink ’til the curtain calls

Let love not weigh me down
Let its weakness be my guide
And all this intensity makes perfect sense to me
Let love not weigh you down

So shed all the tears that you want
Run from the places you haunt
If you think you’re lost
Or just double-crossed
Don’t try to make sense of it all
Let the music and words take you back
To the times when your heart wasn’t cracked
We won’t be suffering with drugs and bad medicine
We’ll drink ’til the curtain calls
We’ll drink ’til the curtain calls.

(If you wish to hear the song, which I recommend, please follow this link to a video on youtube of some bloke doing something with some women in some tv show I don’t watch… feel free to ignore the moving images, but the song playing over the top of this man’s shenanigans is that of which I have spoken above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FcR7UmLd0c).

I just love it; I shouldn’t be letting something as beautiful as love cause me pain. It was an incredible thing, and I was lucky to find it.

And now the sun has come out, and the trees and buildings are glowing golden against the dark grey sky. Even this crappy town can look beautiful sometimes.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Real Time: 5pm. Location: Home.

I want to be happy, I really do. It is really hard, but I really want it.

Patrick Wolf lança oficialmente o clipe de seu terceiro single do álbum The Bachelor. Patrick inclusive o dirigiu, juntamente com o diretor de fotografia Rory Broadfoot. A bela paisagem é em Black Down, West Sussex (Inglaterra), e a mocinha com quem ele contracena é Gwendoline Christie, que pode ser vista em uma peça no West End e no novo filme do diretor Terry Gilliam, O Imaginário do Dr. Parnassus. Aqui está Damaris:

Oh du schöne Vorweihnachtszeit! Wem da das Herzchen nicht warm werden will, dem wird musikalisch mit aller Kraft nachgeholfen, wenn die Musikschaffenden reihum Singles vollgepackt mit Glöckchen, Streichern und den ganz großen Gefühlen veröffentlichen. Auch Patrick Wolf reiht sich da ein und bringt mit “Damaris” am 11. Dezmeber die dritte Single aus seinem aktuellen Album “The bachelor” heraus. Allerdings ist dieser Song im Gegensatz zu den meisten Songs dieser Sorte keine Kitschblase, die beim ersten scharfen Blick zerplatzt, sondern einer der besten Songs auf dem Album, da geht das schon in Ordnung.

Mit dem Clip dazu verhält es sich allerdings anders. Wolf führte gemeinsam mit Rory Braodford Regie und erzählt die Romeo-und-Julia-Geschichte der um 1880 lebenden Damaris,die in einem kleinen Dorf in Sussex lebte, aber nicht Mitglied der katholischen Kirche war, die damals in den ländlichen Gebieten einen noch viel größeren Einfluss hatte als heute. Ihr Romeo hieß Lewis und war der Sohn des örtlichen Priesters. Wolf erzählt die Geschichte aus dessen Sicht, nachdeem Lewis entdeckt hat, dass Damaris sich aus Liebeskummer das Leben genommen hat. Im Video spielen Wolf und die Schauspielerin Gwendoline Christie diese Geschichte choreographisch nach, mit allerlei Kostümwechseln, aber den immer gleichen Gesten und sehr langen Einstellungen. Tendenziell öde dieser Clip:

Die Single erscheint digital und auf Vinyl. Die Tracklist der digitalen Variante:

1. Damaris
2. Peacock skies
3. Queen Isabella (The She-Wolf of France)
4. Damaris (St. George’s Church Acoustic Mix)

“Queen Isabella (The She-Wolf of France)” erzählt wiederum eine historische Geschichte. Königin Isabella war im 16. Jahhundert die Frau von Edward II., der angeblich bisexuell war. Sie wurde von den Engländern als “She-Wolf” bezeichnet und ihr Geist soll heute noch im Garten der St. Paul’s Kathedrale spuken, in dessen Nähe Wolf wohnt. Im Mittelpunkt des musikalischen Arrangements steht bei dem Song das Cembalo. “Peacock skies” nahm Wolf während der Tour zum Album “The magic position” 2007 in der kalifornischen Wüste irgendwo zwischen Las Vegas und San Francisco auf. “Damaris (St. George’s Church Acoustic Mix)” ist, wie der Titel bereits sagt, eine Akustik-Version des Titeltracks, die auf der Orgel der St. George Kirche eingespielt wurde. Die Vinyl-Version wird neben dem Titeltrack nur mit “Queen Isabella (The She-Wolf of France)” als B-Seite veröffentlicht.

Wann endlich “The conquerer”, das Album, dass ursprünglich im Doppel mit “The bachelor” veröffentlicht werden sollte, endlich erscheint, ist leider bislang nicht bekannt.

Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor

Have you ever had a moment where you question where you have been for the past 4-5 years?  I did, the other day when after seeing the name Patrick Wolf pop up on blogs that I follow I finally looked him up.  I gave an immediate “WTF Shana!” to myself.  How dumb was I to not grab up his music so long ago? 

Patrick Wolf is a brilliant musician who’s music is is so hard to place in one specific genre.   He jumps from one genre to the next, one song sounding folk-pop the next sounding industial and the next sounding like a prayer put to a gypsy beat.  He uses Northern European instruments like viola, violin, harpsychord and accordian that give his music this otherworld-like sound.  I can only compare him slightly by saying if you like the vast genres that are covered by say Radiohead or Bjork that you will most likely enjoy his style as well.  His songs cover subjects of self, nature, supernatural and do so on this magical level that grab you by the heart and pull you in beat by beat.  I imagine gypsies whirling dirvish to some of his songs and can see little goth kids do the speaker box dance to others.  I love every second but if you need to take a listen to just one or two songs off this album “Oblivion” with Tilda Swinson narrating just gives me chills and album title “Bachelor” make me feel Patrick’s heart is worn on his sleeve.  Take a listen, tell me what you think! 

Five out of five big Blue Morpho Butterflies for this hidden gem!!!

No sábado dia 07.11 rolou um festival de música no Playcenter, lugar melhor impossível… para curtir e ver todas as tribos juntos, conforme as atrações que apresentaram, o que mais vi foi pessoas com camisetas de suas bandas prediletas, mostro algumas delas aqui…acredito que foi o festival do ano…e nem preciso escrever sobre um dos mais animados shows que foi… Iggy Pop, além de Primal Scream que foi tudo…quero mostrar outros que curti e que senti que o público estava bem animado.

Festival no Playcenter...

Fico feliz em ver as pessoas de verdade confraternizando… uma festa, e melhor sem violência…sem discriminação…e com total liberdade…

Na verdade depois do click deste rapaz, descobri que ele era integrante da banda...

camiseta da banda Copacabana Club

Este rapaz sempre encontro pelas noites de Sp...ele foi prestigiar no festival...

a banda The Ting Tings...

Este menino foi o primeiro a clickar...e a banda dele foi o estouro de camisetas que vi no festival...foi...

Sonic Youth...

E o show que me surpreendeu…quero rever novamente…arrasando: Patrick Wolf!!!

Α, πόσο νοσταλγώ τις μέρες που ο Patrick σκηνοθετούσε μόνο τη μελοδραματική του περσόνα. Τώρα πια οι δουλειές μεγάλωσαν και ξενέρωσαν σε κακόγουστες υπερπαραγωγές. Είναι ζήτημα αν άκουσα μια φορά ολόκληρο το φετινό Bachelor. Δε μπορούσα να το εξηγήσω, μέχρι που είδα και αυτό το τελευταίο σκηνοθετικό του πόνημα. Πάει κι αυτός. Τον χάσαμε προς όφελος του μεγάλου κοινού.

[пушкин - борис годунов]
[nasekomix - инжектирай ми любов]

“Животът ти ще стане а-а-а-а-а-а-а-ад….”

Вчера реших да си купя дебютния албум на Nasekomix – “Adam’s Bushes, Eva’s Deep”. Беше импулсивно, просто се замислих за публикациите, които четох из блоговете за него, за онези моменти от “Източни пиеси” и отидох към Дюкян Меломан с някаква настройка, че трябва да си го взема точно днес или никога няма да мога, тъй като утре светът би изчезнал, примерно. Всъщност винаги е малко странно да кажеш “първи” или “дебютен” за група, която съществува от години, но предполагам това просто е една от многото особености на българската музика. А и ми беше крайно любопитно как звучат на диск, тъй като по съвсем различен начин ги усетих на Park Live Fest и на участието им в клуб Ментол във Варна през лятото. Оказа се една много добре продуцирана смесица от двете, от финната електроника до по-интимно акустично звучене. А ако “Amore Mio” беше разсъблечена от електро дрехите си, щеше да е почти пънк. Двете песни от “Източни пиеси” (“Инжектирай ми любов” и “Lady Song”) са включени в албума, който върви и с много стилна обложка, но текстовете вътре надали ще ви помогнат да проследите абстрактния хаос в думите на Рони, римуваща с пълна убедителност “палка” с “катафалка”. А със закупуването му, част от парите отиват за www.icantoo.eu Може да се намери и в Itunes.

Има ли нещо по-хубаво от песните, които не само те карат да се удавиш в тях, но и когато разкрият истинската си същност, да се окажат нещо съвсем друго и светът около теб леко да трепне от промяната? Че някъде зад обикновените думи се крие една неподозирана история? Оказа се, че “Damaris” на Патрик Уолф, която влиза в ролята на трети сингъл от “The Bachelor”, е вдъхновена от пътуване в Източен Есекс, където на гробището, близо до плочите на неговите предци, стоял дървен кръст с името…Damaris. Която се оказала непокръстено момиче, влюбено в сина на свещеник и починало от “разбито сърце” – терминът, който през 19-ти век е замествал думата самоубийство. Патрик е и режисьор на клипа.

PATRICK WOLF PATRICK WOLF PATRICK WOLF

First, I’d like to say that I do have intelligent posts about the talks I’ve been attending and emotional posts about trying to find and define myself, and that these are all in draft status and will be posted as soon as work gets off my back and I manage to sort myself out.

This post, however, is just for me to make happy noises.

*hugely happy* I’d listened to some of his stuff before this, and liked it quite a lot, but today I was converted to being a Fan of Patrick Wolf, capitals and all. He’s so lovely adfklajd;flahglnavlm;fkjaeiorjuadf;ljsdf’;lkajfs;dl *violent keysmashing*He showed up late (traffic is hell here) and we were told that he was doing makeup and changing and there was a bit of laughing and comments about diva-ing, but he showed up in this bizarre but cute drapey skirt-trousers-white-jacket-adf;alkjs ensemble, and he took song requests and talked to us and a;ldfkajdflkagj;akldfjads he’s so awesome. He talked about all kinds of stuff – music, fitting in, school, education, made a couple of I’m-so-pleased-to-be-here jokes, the media and identity and the inspiration for his songs, and he likes Angela Carter and Hans Christian Andersen and Virginia Woolf -

Completely awesome. *hearts* And he’s such an awesome live singer. The sort of person with an unbelievably deep and sweet and resonant and powerful voice, and he plays the piano and the viola and the ukelele how talented can one person be? *heartshearts*

If you haven’t listened to his stuff go and do it now! For him, my frugal, penny-pinching self splashed out twenty three pounds to buy two albums at one go, so there you have it. ;D Listening to them now. Extremely happy. Beautiful music, and I’m on schedule with my work so I can afford to take a little time off for this.

image from PW's facebook

Just a heads up that everyone’s favorite blondey Patrick Wolf released a new video at guardian.co.uk for the song Damaris. Click on the link to watch the video as PW crawls on the ground for a woman he just might love.

Am I the only one who thinks Patrick looks like a grown up Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series? Regardless, the man can sing and I have enjoyed all of his singles off the Bachelor CD released earlier this year. Buy it!

<via Patrick Wolf’s Facebook Updates>

Não sei se foi porque eu tinha muita vontade de ir a um festival em um parque de diversões que eu amay o Planeta Terra desse ano. Achei ótima a locação, o parque funcionando durante as apresentações, o serviço okayam, sem tumulto e nem a chuva que caiu durante parte da noite conseguiu tombar com o evento que foi ótimo. Me diverti pencas nos brinquedos que praticamente não havia fila nenhuma e dava pra vc ir zilhões de bilhões de vzs. Pelo menos eu fui, rs! O parque estava todo iluminado, com a praça de alimentação funcionando, muitos bares espalhados pelos dois lados do parque além do estacionamento onde rolava o palco principal. Muita gente bonita, todos os hipsters de SP estavam lá. Foi divertido ir na montanha russa com o pessoal da moda de SP, eu pelo menos achei bem digno! Ex Vjs que parecem não conhecer o tempo e nunca envelhecerem como a Sabrina (dos tempos do Disk MTV, Top 10), Gastão (amor de adolescente da minha ameeega) e o Edgard que eu tive que fazer a tiete pq não é sempre que o cara aparece assim do seu lado no meio do nada neam? Ele e a Marina Person são os meus símbolos para a MTV aqui no Brasil, fatão! A nova geração tmbm estava lá…mas nem confiança pq hj os tempos são outros! Sorry! Fora que foi uma delícia dançar em frente ao Castelo dos Horrores, com música boa, maçã do amor e algodão doce cor de rosa neam? Eu achei chic, achei digno e achei delícia.

Copacabana Club só deu para pegar o final do show pq foi quando eu cheguei no festival, mas pelo menos deu pra dançar os hits mais conhecidos da banda, que vestiam figurino fundamento do pessoal do B.Luxo. Ahazô! Achei belo!

Primal Scream foi divertideeenho mas não empolgou. Muita colocação? Loucureeenhas? Não sei, só sei que foi meio assim neam? Mas eu dancei mesmo assim e nem confiança. Achei okayam. E perdi parte do show brincando igual a uma criança no Playcenter, só percebi que já estava rolando enquanto estava no looping de uma das montanhas russa. Aliás, adorei a idéia de deixar o brinquedos mais legais funcionando durante os show, foi bem diverteeedo, sem fila e com cara de show na Europa. Ponto para a organização! Eu pelo menos me diverti pencas!

Sonic Youth é sempre Sonic Youth neam? O show foi meio que sem grandes hits, mais no fundamento do álbum mais recente mesmo. Só que as guitarras, o som da banda eu diria que é impossível de se confundir. E Kim Gordon? Linda, lôra, tah magrona, tah gatona e tah gostosa e continua sendo uma das minhas musas do rock. E eu me pergunto: Hey Joni, when will all these dreams come true? Foi o show imperdível da noite, fato!

Iggy fez alôka neam? Só consegui assistir o começo e o final do show dele…tudo porque o Ting Tings começou quase no mesmo horário e ai já viu neam? Mas deu pra ver o começo do show com um dos monstros vivos do rock e o final, com direito a bundeeenha do Iggy e tudo mais. Euri e quero ser ameeego do Iggy, me liga tah?

Patrick Wolf foi loucurinhas neam? Uma versão menino de Lady Gaga no quesito figurino pelo menos e menino talentoso viu? Toca vários instrumentos e me fez dançar um pouco, mas foi bom ouvi-lo do alto dos brinquedos do parque tmbm. Achei chic!

O show do Ting Tings foi incrível tmbm, super dançante, pra divertir mesmo. Claro que tocaram o seu álbum praticamente inteiro e todos os hits é claro, mas foi um show curto eu diria. Deu vontade de mais! E me lembrou muito o CSS, achei o mesmo fundamento. Mas achei digno e me diverti pencas. When nothing makes you feel good, then nothing makes you feel good.

O set do N.A.S.A foi absurdo e certamente um dos pontos altos da noite. Com uma batida incrível os DJs colocaram o Playcenter para dançar e muito ao som de muita música eletrônica com fundamento rock e hip hop, com samplers conhecidos e que todos nós por algum motivos temos uma relação afetiva com eles. A video art do show foi uma atração a parte. Quase chorei com o little MJ ainda na época dos Jacksons 5, mas foi quase. Eu chorei mesmo e literalmente com a imagem do Kurt Cobain, gigante no centro do telão e um sampler de “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, com um dos rifles de guitarra mais conhecidos do mundo do rock. Chorei como criança, me emocionei pencas e me senti como tal, grunge e aos 13 novamente. Lindo! E como se tudo isso não fosse o suficiente, a presença tímida de Spike Jonze (sim, ele estava lá, eu não disse pra vcs?) no cantinho do palco, fazendo alguns takes da performance e da platéia e sendo obrigado a ouvir o meu griteeenho irritante de “I Love U Spike”, que ele retribui com um sorriso mais tímido ainda e um pequeno aceno. Quase morri! Mas eu tinha que me declarar para ele neam? Afinal, era o Spike Jonze C@r@lho! O homem que fez o brilhante “Being John Malcovich”, além de ter feito o recentemente lançado “Where The Wild Things Are” pra mim é claro, eu sei que foi. E esse foi o meu encontro com Spike Jonze, que eu vou contar um dia para os meus netos, ahhhhhh vô!

No final do show dos caras, todo mundo foi para o palco, técnicos de som, luz, organizadores e Sipke Jonze pulando e dançando ao som do excelente set dos Djs mais incríveis do momento, prontofalei!. E eu amo o Jégonza tmbm, só pra registrar!

ps: Edgard, eu tin amo! Adoro o seu circo, a sua caragem ou whatever e acho que o horário do Altas Horas deveria ser seu, prontofalei!

O saldo da noite foi superpositivo ainda mais pra mim que nem iria no show e meio que ganhei o convite em cima da hora de uma super querida da minha sala da pós que fez a phina pra mim. LOVE quando eu não crio muitas expectativas e acabo me surpreendendo? Música boa, diversão…LOVE! Achei a locação perfeita, fácil de chegar pra todo mundo, fikdik ae para os próximos festivais hein?

E se no ano que vem rolar de novo e no mesmo lugar eu estarei lá! Guilt recomenda!

E tragam o Kings Of Leon pel’ amour!

From his recently released album, The Bachelor

buy album

Patrick Wolf just announced the release of Damaris as his next single and without a doubt, my favourite on the album, on December 14th.

The story/meaning of the song, according to Patrick’s Facebook is amazingly beautiful and worthy of being posted in full. REALLY excited to see the video directed by and co-starring Patrick and actress Gwendoline Christie (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus). Stated to be Wolf’s visual interpretation of the passionate romance between Damaris and Lewis, shot on location at Blackdown, West Sussex.

“The song is semi-autobiographical and centred on the loss of love, but was also inspired by a tale discovered by Patrick when he went to seek out his English roots after a period of heartbreak and the ending of a relationship that was documented in the song The Magic Position.

The church organ on the song, played by Patrick and the drums by Marcello Vig were both recorded in 2008 on location in St. George’s Church, the very church ground where the romance took place a hundred years before between Damaris and Lewis”.

Check out his live performance of Damaris from Bottom Lounge in Chicago:

­

Hoje acontece em São Paulo a terceira edição de um dos mais famosos festivais de música no Brasil, o Festival Planeta Terra. Essa edição, como de costume, junta vários nomes consagrados da música internacional, bandas em ascenção e o que há de mais interessante no cenário do rock nacional. Para os interessados, apreciadores e fãs de Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth, Primal Scream, The Ting Tings, Metronomy, Maxïmo Park, N.A.S.A, Móveis Coloniais de Acaju e Macaco Bong , o festival é imperdível.

Primal Scream – Movin’ On Up (Live in 1991)

Os ingressos ainda estão disponíveis em diversos pontos de venda, que podem ser conferidos no site oficial do festival, e custam entre R$190 e R$200 (estudantes podem pagar meia). No site também é possível conferir os horários em que todas as atrações tocarão, assim como um guia de como chegar ao Playcenter, onde ocorrerá essa edição do festival.

Metronomy – Holiday

Para quem for, desejo que se divirta com os shows. O Planeta Terra sempre foi um tanto organizado em relação aos seus concorrentes, esperemos que dessa vez não seja diferente. Considerando o nível das bandas que se apresentarão de uma vez, apesar dos horários conflitantes, vale muito a pena. Ver tantos nomes importantes em uma só oportunidade é sempre muito interessante, divertido, e para muitos, imperdível!

Iggy Pop & The Stooges – Search and Destroy

Patrick Wolf – Demolition

photograph © sannah kvist

patrick wolf

Much is often said about guitarists, drummers, singers–about who the “greatest of all time” is or was, about who the “greatest” of the moment might be. But pianists are frequently overlooked, perhaps in part because there aren’t many truly excellent ones in popular music. It’s arguably easier and definitely less painful to pick out a melody on a piano than it is to master even the most basic chords on a guitar. Anyone who has strained to reach an F major chord on a guitar can appreciate the simplicity of the same chord on the piano. And anyone who has spent any amount of time at a piano can admire the dexterity involved in crafting a terrific solo, unexpected chord progression, signature style, etc., on the piano.

OH thinks it’s important to recognize the most skilled piano-playing artists of the moment. So here they are. This is not a list of all-time greats; it’s the movers and shakers of the present. Or, as Jerry Lee Lewis might say, the shake-rattle-and-rollers.

10. Trent Reznor
Surprised? Although Reznor is best known for grinding, distorted industrial rock and pissed off lyrics, he started out as a pianist. A prodigiously good one, so the story goes. For the most part, the world has yet to hear first hand these impressive piano skills that Reznor is rumored to have. Sure, he’ll tease us with a little keyboard melody here (Ghosts I, track 1), a handful of chords there (“March of the Pigs”), but we’ll have to keep waiting for the day when he unveils his more advanced abilities.

9. Alicia Keys
Classically trained (at least until she graduated high school at 16), Alicia Keys has an undeniably unique style of songwriting. Her songs mix blues with pop and hip-hop sensibilities, a combo that made her a chart-topping artist at age 20. Oh–and she sings well, too. Each of Keys’s tunes, if a bit repetitive in an R&B loop kind of way, reveal a soulfulness that has always sounded wise beyond the youthful years of their composer. (Embedding of this song was disabled. Otherwise, it would be posted here.)

8. Patrick Wolf
Precocious, a bit egotistical, and incredibly prolific, 26-year-old Wolf has released four albums in the past six years and has a fifth one slated for 2010. Stylistically, he’s all over the map; you could probably describe his songs in terms of music from just about any other era and not be too far off the mark. Roxy Music, Bowie, and even The Killers seem present and accounted for. If hearing The Killers in Wolf’s music implies he’s as heavily influenced as they are by better and more important bands of that past, so be it. At least Wolf is a better keyboardist than Brandon Flowers.

(For Patrick at the piano, go here. For cooler stuff, see below.)

7. Amanda Palmer
AFP (that’s “Amanda Fucking Palmer,” as she refers to herself) is nothing if not original. She has developed to perfection her trademark Kurt Weill-meets-Black Flag-meets-The Smiths aesthetic, turning her artistic identity into a sort of indie brand with an undyingly devoted cult following. As a musician, Palmer has progressed since The Dresden Dolls debuted in 2001 and continues to find odd ways of putting chords in succession while still somehow making musical sense. It’s unfortunate that she and drummer Brian Viglione have disbanded the Dolls: separately, they are interesting; together–live–they are extraordinary.

6. Matt Bellamy
He sings in a dramatic falsetto. He rips on the guitar. He composes orchestral arrangements on the recent The Resistance. He sings in a dramatic falsetto with a guitar slung over his shoulder while playing the piano in an orchestrally arranged song–live. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Matt Bellamy of Muse. Enough said.

5. Casey Dienel
At 24 years old, Dienel is the youngest musician on this list. After studying classical vocals and classical composition at the New England Conservatory of Music, Dienel dropped out–but her music hasn’t suffered for it. She released a solo album in 2006 and subsequently formed a band, White Hinterland, whose 2008 debut was grossly overlooked and under-reviewed. On Phylactory Factory, Dienel flirts in her high-pitched, girly voice with jazz piano riffs and deceptively light-hearted lyrics. Deceptive because this is seriously well-crafted music by a relative newcomer who clearly knows what she is doing. (Fun fact: White Hinterland released a more experimental EP, Lumiculaire, later in 2008. The lyrics are mostly in French. And it’s one of the best stoner albums of the year. Don’t quote me on that.)

Go here for “Dreaming of the Plum Trees”.

4. Tori Amos
Ok, I’ll be honest: I’m writing this from the point of view of someone who doesn’t listen much to Tori Amos but who respects her songwriting abilities, based mostly on hearsay and limited personal encounters. (Personal encounters with the music, that is. Not with Amos herself. For instance, I think “Spark” is a badass song. And Amos saw the beauty in “Smells Like Teen Spirit” before a lot of other people did.) I’ve heard concert accounts of her playing more than one piano simultaneously. I can’t deny that she’s a pianist force to be reckoned with, even if her lyrics are a bit overly serious for my tastes.

3. Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor’s music is quirky, anti-folk, unpretentious catchiness. And then she throws in something serious (like “Laughing With” from Far or a fantastic cover of Lennon’s “Real Love”) and punches you right in the gut. Her lyrics are playful and mysterious, creating Edward Gorey-like worlds with recurring themes. (The name “Mary Ann,” literary allusions, and multiple languages continually appear). See her live, and hear a rare phenomenon: a singer who sounds better in person than on a recording. And, as a pianist, she’s capable of more than her simple arrangements allow us to hear–she began playing the piano as a child and eventually studied at the Manhattan School of Music. Perhaps someday she’ll throw a little Rachmaninoff into her concert repertoire.

2. Rufus Wainwright
As if it’s not enough that he’s of a fine musical pedigree (son of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle), as though it’s not enough that most of his songs are glistening gems of lyrical and instrumental (and, yes, sometimes excessively theatrical) artisanship, Rufus Wainwright has now written an opera. In 2008, the Metropolitan Opera allegedly revoked Wainwright’s commission when the artist insisted on writing the libretto of Prima Donna in French instead of English. The Palace Theater of Manchester debuted the opera in July 2009. Prima Donna received mixed reviews at the Manchester International Festival, but nevertheless, OH is looking forward to seeing Rufus perform selections from the work at the New York City Opera on Thursday.

1. Ben Folds
His dork-rock style has lost some of its novelty, and his most recent solo album Way to Normal (and the fake pre-release version) and tour were disasters. But, you have only to listen to Ben Folds Five’s debut album from 1995 to understand why Folds tops this list. In a word: showmanship. Folds’s jazz/rock skillz are par excellence, but they’re also some of the most abusive in the biz. Fists, elbows, and feet are all fair game when it comes to body parts with which he’s willing to beat the piano. Folds is at his best best by himself or with a small band; the number of musicians and goofy visual distractions onstage made his last tour a ridiculous pseudo-hippie/college-pop hybrid. Strip away this camp and newfound psychedelia, and what you have is still the most impressive, improvisationally free pianist in rock right now.