The Best Albums of 2009: Editor’s Choice

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

As a companion piece to our 50-1 countdown that hit the internet gradually over the past couple of weeks (check the top three and work backwards), I’ve decided to do this piece on my own personal top 20. First person writing, the chance to eschew writing as voice of a consensus – my very own top albums of 2009 as some sort of deeper representation of what this here site’s all about.

The order is very loose, and I guess based on factors such as how and how much I enjoyed them. I could probably put these albums in a tombola, get them out re-ordered and still call it a fair representation of my year. That said, the top five would have to be the top five, and in that order. They are five incredible albums that have added a next-level fever to this year. … Continue Reading

The Best Albums of 2009: 30-21

Excuse the hopefully unnecessary patronisation, but if you’ve not read how we got this list (y’know, the formulae and the musoing), then you must! You really. Click here now, go on. … Continue Reading

Patrick Wolf, London Palladium

Patrick Wolf

November 15 2009

For all the flack he gets for being gay, posh and dressing like an idiot, you can’t fault Patrick Wolf’s drive and work ethic. This time last year, he was without a record company – he took his half-finished forth record and completed work on a double album, before splitting it into two discs. The first of these, The Bachelor, was released in June this year, with Wolf having funded the remaining recording work and subsequent promotion through the website Bandstocks. Ever the individual, the album featured dark, camp dance-pop songs and string-drenched epics, managing to end up on the right side – just – of overblown. … Continue Reading

Florence Welch and Alec Empire join Patrick Wolf on stage

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf played a triumphant show at the London Palladium tonight, and the special guests he promised prior to the show proved to be worth the wait.

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Patrick Wolf to play the London Palladium on Sunday

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf is not only playing the stunning London Palladium on November 15th, but will also be joined by Marc Almond and Alec Empire on stage. The songs will be played with a live string section and gospel choir.

“It is a total honour that I am able to duet with the legendary singer-songwriter, Marc Almond. To me, he is one of the most genius brave and passionate renaissance artists of the last three decades, a total inspiration. He has explored music from Russian folk to Gypsy to being a complete original electronic pop star in his work with Soft Cell.  I met Marc totally randomly last summer whilst finishing off “The Bachelor”, he was moving into the house next door to mine and we bumped into each other on the street, me coming home with my groceries and him moving his furniture in. We hit it off immediately and he has since been a big support and encouragement to me over the last year. With Marc’s amazing new album “Orpheus in Exile” just released and me closing “The Bachelor” album tour in the U.K at the Palladium, it seems perfect for our paths to cross now on-stage. We will be doing two songs together… but time will tell what they may be. Hopefully one from each of our own songbooks. The other fantastic guest will be Alec Empire, flying in from Berlin, we are still preparing our collaboration on the night but it will definitely be a live continuation of the work we have done together over the last two years, representing our co-writes and production on The Bachelor and perhaps one of the forthcoming songs from my next album The Conqueror. To me, Alec is one of the seminal revolutionary beat makers and noise makers around and as always it blows my mind to think we are working together now, when I think back to sneaking in with a fake ID to the London Astoria to see Atari Teenage Riot play, aged 14.” … Continue Reading

Patrick Wolf apologises for tantrum

Patrick Wolf

Oh man. In case you missed that news about Patrick Wolf throwing a massive tantrum at C/O Pop, you may need to familiarise yourself with it before reading this more-hilarious-than-Raygun apology. Lucky for you, it’s right here. And here’s the apology, fully unedited:

“I am very sorry that I became too much wolf on stage at C/O Pop. I was singing Shakira’s new song “She Wolf” and I felt my animal instinct to protect my audience. My music is very tribal at the moment, I feel I am protective of all of them. It had been a very long day. I slept well but woke at 4 am to fly to Cologne to start a full day of back to back interviews and photos. My band and crew were setting up onstage and I had no idea of stage times as I do not wear a watch and wasn’t informed that my set was being cut short before I went onstage by the relevant parties. … Continue Reading

Patrick Wolf in on-stage hissy fit

Patrick Wolf

As reported on Pitchfork, Patrick Wolf threw a massive hissy fit on stage at the C/O Pop Festival in Cologne, Germany. “I’ve come all the way from fucking London,” he shrieked, before asking for the PA system to be turned up.

And then oh no, the set was cut short! Ohhh noooo. The report describes his reaction as him going “apeshit”, we’d rather say “looney tunes”. He throws a mic, mic stands, a piano bench and hell, after that, he spits! He almost hits his poor violinist in the process. Jeez, Patrick… … Continue Reading

Shoreditch 1234 Festival, London Shoreditch Park

Shoreditch 1234

July 26th 2009

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Patrick Wolf announces special London Palladium gig

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf has announced a special one-off concert at the London Palladium on November 15th. The singer will perform tracks from this year’s The Bachelor alongside material from his earlier albums.

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Our favourite gigs of 2009… so far

Of Montreal

2009’s been a corker, and we’ve only just entered its second half. And what better way to mark its passing than by a quick, chronological rundown of the best live moments thus far…

Russell Warfield

Of Montreal at Manchester University Students Union – January 29

Men dressed as pigs sprayed the crowd with pink feathers during the final, euphoric chorus of ‘A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger’. A man dressed as a tiger held another man upside down whilst he bit his crotch (meanwhile, ninjas infiltrated the dance floor). Barnes underwent three costume changes; one of which left him naked except for shaving foam. These, and countless other relentlessly mental antics, felt like the perfect visual manifestation of the smile-inducing schizophrenia of last year’s Skeletal Lamping. And, luckily, the musicianship suffered nothing for the band’s visual ambitions. From the opener ‘She’s A Rejector’, the crowd were instantly energised and dancing right up until Barnes and company closed their encore with a fun and well-earned cover of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ (punctuated by Barnes launching himself into the crowd and trashing gear with his guitar). I left the gig smeared with shaving foam and pink feathers. Surely you must agree that any gig which allows me to use the sentence “I left the gig smeared with shaving foam and pink feathers” deserves an honourable mention as one of the best of the year? … Continue Reading