Patrick Wolf - Biography
By Marcus Kagler
In a modern indie rock world often criticized for putting style over substance, Patrick Wolf earned his critical kudos by combining eclectic art rock with a legitimate androgyny not successfully embodied since Bowie dawned the Ziggy Stardust garb. Unlike his many contemporaries who are also better known for their outrageous get ups, Of Montreal comes to mind here, than they are for their actual albums, Wolf backs up his flamboyance with a lyrical and musical genius he’s been honing since the age of 11. Born in London, England on June 30, 1983 as Patrick Denis Apps, the young Wolf began studying violin and singing in choirs at before building his own Theremin at age 11, graduating to experimenting with four-track recordings by age 12. As something of a child prodigy, Wolf possessed an uncanny ability to master numerous different instruments, including the harp, organ, accordion, ukulele, and of course the violin, which plays a prominent role on all his solo albums and live shows. At age 14, Wolf joined the avant-pop prankster Minty. The critical darlings quickly attracted the attention of Fat Cat Records who agreed to further Wolf’s sonic solo explorations by supplying him with a computer and mixing equipment.
Wolf left home at age 16 to form the experimental noise pop outfit Maison Crimineaux, who caught the ear of electronic guru Capitol K (born Kristian Robinson) after he witnesses one of their gigs in France. Robinson agreed to produced Wolf’s debut full length, with Lycanthropy (Tomlab) following in spring of 2004 to rave critical reviews. Fusing his keen multi-instrumentalist skills with a subtle electronic approach and a lyrical concept based on the werewolf legend (lycanthropy refers to the belief of one actually being a wolf), he stumbled on a winning combination that garnered him an underground following throughout Europe with North America quickly following suit even though the album was only available as an import. After a brief stint studying composition at the Trinity College Music Conservatoire, Wolf returned with the sophomore full length, Wind in the Wires (2005 Tomlab), garnering more worldwide critical praise for further honing his sound into post apocalyptic slow burning beauty, often recalling the grandeur of the late Jeff Buckley near the height of his musical prowess. By the time his third full length, The Magic Position (Polydor) appeared in 2007, Wolf had gained a buzz worthy notoriety with critics and indie rock circles worldwide. The often sunny and sometimes muddled The Magic Position however was much to experimental to net a broader mainstream audience yet Wolf continued to attract media attention with his flamboyant performances on the subsequent international tour, often taking the stage in elaborate costumes with full make up and different colored hair every night. Wolf made subsequent headlines in the summer of 2007 by publically admitting his bisexuality, a subject he had been hinting at in his lyrics for quite some time. Around this same time, Wolf also blasted the over the top UK pop sensation Mika via a MySpace bulletin stating, “Mika is a twat” before lambasting the music industry in general for championing style above substance. Patrick Wolf is currently recording his fourth as-yet-untitled full length, which he has said will be a political album based on a recent tour of the United States.
