Festivals: Brakes + Patrick Wolf (with Thomas on guitar) + Brakes USA shows
New Brakes and Patrick Wolf shows just posted at the Thomas White Myspace
Please note: Brakes USA shows to be confirmed (may be some changes)
Patrick Wolf’s ‘Hard Times’ single, featuring Thomas, was released on the 6th July. It’s on limited release 7″ vinyl and iTunes. More info at the Patrick Wolf Myspace
Here’s what Thomas had to say about the video for ‘Hard Times’ (watch here) “Mr. Wolf w/ some rock action from yours truly up the back. Amazing video. I’m jealous!”
Thomas also appears on album track Oblivion: buy The Bachelor here He also enhances many live songs old and new with his guitar magic. Some favourite fan videos from the last tour at the ESP Myspace Blog and the Thomas White Myspace comments (scroll down)
Also an update on his new album ‘The Maximalist’ – coming Autumn ‘09 on Cooking Vinyl Records (website) Drift Records have put up a press archive for first album ‘I Dream Of Black’: visit the vaults (for more click on previous entries)
Upcoming Patrick Wolf + Brakes shows – Patrick Wolf Myspace – Brakes Myspace – patrickwolf.com
JULY
11 – Patrick Wolf – Oxegen Festival, Naas, Kildare
12 – Patrick Wolf – T In The Park, Kinross
18 – Patrick Wolf – Latitude, Suffolk
19 – Patrick Wolf – Melt Festival, Grafenhainichen, Berlin
26 – Patrick Wolf – 1234 Festival, London
29 – Patrick Wolf – Paredes de Coura Festival, Praia do Tabuao
AUGUST
2 – Patrick Wolf – Underage Festival, London
7 – Brakes – Relentless Festival, Newquay
13 – Patrick Wolf – Opernterrassen (C/O Pop Festival) Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen
14 – Patrick Wolf – Elbinsel (Dockville Festival) Hamburg
15 – Patrick Wolf – Slottsskogen (Way Out West Festival) Gothenburg, Vastra Gotalands lan
21 – Patrick Wolf – Pukkelpop Festival, Hesselt
22 – Brakes – Pukkelpop Festival, Hasselt
23 – Patrick Wolf – Stausee (Highfield Festival) Thuringen
28 – Patrick Wolf – Leeds Festival
29 – Patrick Wolf – Reading Festival
30 – Patrick Wolf – Rock En Seine, Paris
SEPTEMBER
13 – Brakes – End Of The Road Festival, Devon
25 – Brakes – Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg
OCTOBER – shows to be confirmed
1 – Brakes – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
3 – Brakes – The North Star Bar, Philadelphia
5 – Brakes – The Black Cat, Washington DC
6 – Brakes – The Bowery Ballroom, New York City
7 – Brakes – Great Scott, Allston, MA
11 – Brakes – The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI
15 – Brakes – The Hi Dive, Denver
16 – Brakes – Kilby Court, Salt Lake City
18 – Brakes – High Dive, Seattle
19 – Brakes – Doug Fir Lounge, Portland
21 – Brakes – Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco
22 – Brakes – Spaceland, LA
In the vaults of Thomas White
Drift Records press archive for first album I Dream Of Black (for more scroll down and click on previous entries)
Latest on the Thomas White album
From the Thomas White Myspace
2nd July: Mastermind…
So….. Nearly there now. Mastering underway, and I have to say it sounds rad as rad can be. Meaty, beaty, big and bouncy (as Marc Riley described The Runaround). Mr Alex White has accompanied me on this little jaunt into Walthamstow – I got a little scared yesterday at the thought of travelling up to the big smoke all on my ownses to get a record mastered in, like, a proper fucking studio and all that (I mastered I Dream Of Black on my Laptop…come to think of it, I don’t think I bothered in the end..) so I brought Bruv along for some much needed moral and sonic encouragement. This all feels like a bit of a step up, so a little support for little old me felt justified. On the subject of the album itself, the past week or so has brought some interesting developments re: artwork and videos. I can’t divulge anything more right now, but I will say that both the sleeve and promos will be collaborations with some very interesting people indeed. ‘Til next time… TX
Visit his Myspace for more recent Blogs, if you haven’t already.
The Maximalist – thoughts so far
Review of the tracks Thomas previously posted from his new album at the Thomas White Myspace – Synapse Galaxy, The Weekend, A Bitter Pill, Look At Them (Guided By Voices cover) The Emerald Tree, Control (with Stuart Flynn)
This review also contains some Thomas White related links to audio + video.
The last time I “reviewed” Thomas White’s new songs was July 2008 – read here – Almost a year later here I am again. Patrick Wolf wrote his latest album exactly the way he wanted, with no regards to commercial success. Thomas follows the same path.
Instrumental Synapse Galaxy evokes an atmosphere of a vast expanse of space. That’s your first thought until suddenly funky beats come in and you imagine Madonna circa 1980-something will start singing any second (maybe Get Into The Groove) She doesn’t and the beats become more frantic encouraged by the barely contained bassline. You’re sure a whole fleet of spaceships is making their way across the universe at speed; as if escaping planet earth. Throughout the song broken up soundwaves chatter, maybe communications from the future, transfixing your mind. Somehow never tuning in, message not received. Suddenly they stop and a warning signal sounds…
The soundtrack to escaping a dying planet before it’s too late. As you listen your senses are transfixed as if you’re standing at the helm of the spaceship full of barely disguised tension. What has lasted in reality just under 6 minutes has transported you light years away. But you made it, in the end, didn’t you?
The most disconcerting disco song you ever want to hear. Listen on repeat play and the more desperate you’ll be to reach out and tune the dial to discover just what the constant radio chatter is. But instead you’re frozen in your seat, praying for a safe ending.
I’m guessing this will be one of the stand out tracks on the album and after playing it on repeat I can’t review another one at the same time… it’s completely filled my mind with imagery you could never recreate with lyrics. It’s not just a drum track, it’s so much more. Usually my favourite songs have lyrics and I want to type them out as soon as I hear them. With this, I just wanted to describe the place it took me to. I don’t really want to come back down.
And those eerie sounds at the start of the song; after seeing video from the Patrick Wolf tour, it’s a guitar (unbelievably) Video evidence When I realised Thomas was making his guitar sound like a futuristic synth I wondered if we’d be in for similar treats on the new album (answer: affirmitive) I guessed he’d been up to something…
Have been listening to Thomas White radio at Last FM (tune in) Also found more tags for him after reading through reviews of the last album for ideas i.e. Surf Rock (read more) When Patrick Wolf said Thomas was playing surf guitar I wondered what he meant. “Surf rock, generally instrumental in nature with an electric guitar or saxophone playing the main melody”.
I think The Weekend from the new album features some of that. It’s time to re-acquaint myself with the unique Melancholy of one half of the Brothers White. Musically, this has Electric Soft Parade stamped all over it, there’s no getting away from it. If listening to Patrick Wolf’s new album (featuring TW on guitar) made me miss them, this sure as hell does. It could be a long lost ESP b-side recorded by someone older, wiser and with more confidence in his creations. The start of the song evokes Saint Etienne (not a surprise as Thomas is such a big fan)
“I’ll sing for my supper, I’ll drink til I’m dead, I’ll drink to the weekend, hope in my head”
Mournful guitar arrives to smooth away the bleakness and that hope is expressed in spoken words:
“there is no joy in looking ahead, there is nothing laying in wait for us but death and destruction… what has passed was a nightmare best forgotten, so we stare down instead towards the far off river… where dancing rays of the autumn sun make shining rings on the water, and for a short while we are almost hypnotised into believing that the present can last forever, and the past can be wiped out, and the future avoided”
At last thoughts of stark reality are calmed. Holding onto a perfect moment that when recalled can make everything alright. Wishing you could go back there because the memory is still so real, as if frozen in time.
TW: “Due to some surprisingly encouraging reactions to the new stuff recently posted, I’ve taken the dubious decision to post some more”.
After drinking until all senses are dead during The Weekend we are now taking a seaside trip of which he writes: ‘A Bitter Pill’, a mini-epic concerning (among other things) a lovely afternoon spent walking the promenade in Eastbourne.
“I took a bitter pill and I was complete…”
The sun is high in the sky as the colours become brighter. Heat shimmering in the distance as the lilting drumbeats + guitar drift across the water. Thomas sits behind his drumkit in the bandstand enchanting passers by (Eastbourne Bandstand) This has got to be a single just for the homemade psychedelic video possibilities. If this was released on a major, thousands could be wasted digitally cloning him as he plays all the instruments at the same time.
The song seems to end so quickly even though it’s over 4 minutes, requiring repeat playing. Even more catchy than ESP’s Cold World, resonating with warmth and without a care. One of the best things he has written. It’s a proper pop song, with strings. Much, much better than when you actually go to the seaside and the sky is grey and the highlight of the day is a cup of coffee. It’s more fun listening to this instead.
The Guided By Voices cover – Look At Them – is from the 1996 album, Under The Bushes, Under The Stars (hear the original on Spotify) Soundclip of original (scroll down to play)
It’s crippling, never really knowing
We’re huddling, where it’s always nice
And plus there is a flame
A flame that should be hot
In spite of being small, and being still
Following wherever you will
Look at them, they’re sensitive
And they inch out, look at them
Thomas has the original vocals down to a T on the chorus, in the same way he replicated Dennis Wilson’s vocals on End Of The Show (session track) and Billy MacKenzie’s on ESP’s cover of Blue It Is. It’s almost as if he captures their essence vocally.
I imagine he’s been singing this for years, to himself at least. Ever the faithful fan, paying tribute to his heroes.
Next bit for the Thomas White afficianados, which I would hope you are. For example…
End Of The Show, Dennis Wilson
Thomas White session – comes on near the start of the recording: MP3 here
Original version: youtube
TW’s Blog 07/03/08: “If anyone can find a lusher song in this world, show me it please. He sounds completely out of it, hardly pronouncing certain words, but his singing is beautiful and the arrangement is heart-stoppingly vast”
Blue It Is, Billy MacKenzie
Electric Soft Parade at the 2007 Tribute concert: youtube
Original version: youtube
Back to the new album and The Emerald Tree. After surviving the journey across Synapse Galaxy (and Eastbourne promenade) at last your feet are metaphorically back on safe ground. This instrumental tells the story of a lush new world where the only language is that of nature and the sound of the wind as it blows through the trees. Lakes of pure sparkling water are surrounded by magical forests, the whole scene illuminated by the brightness of the moon.
This is an album of many different moods – dark and light – sometimes in the same song. The same goes for genres which are forever changing so you can never become distracted and there are yet more songs to come.
Outrageously different to everything else on the album so far is Control featuring Stuart Flynn. A tale of a mystery love who isn’t worth wasting any more time on, perfectly enhanced with programmed beats and distortion. No feelings are spared as he waxes lyrical.
“Can’t have that man, can we, no… Me fulfilled and happy? No…”
“Have another drink, don’t think about it, it’d never work, you’re better off without it – work it out in your own time, get me out of your mind, I must have control…”
You really wish it could have worked out but Stuart is brutally honest. There is no happy ever after. Or is there…
When the Brothers White were on a major label they were marketed in a certain way. You could equate it to the way Patrick Wolf has said he felt on a major label. Both were expected to upkeep a certain image without the danger of offending anybody. So Control could never even have been an Electric Soft Parade b-side. In the same way Patrick couldn’t have dreamed about releasing the songs he wanted to. They didn’t have the artistic freedom. Thomas has created the most out there composition on his album and isn’t going to be told he can’t.
Thomas most definitely has Control at last. Fulfilled and happy? Yes!
The End – may all other reviews use many fancy words and be terribly professional (Thomas hopes!!) Also looking forward to lots more fan reviews because they’re the best…
New Thomas White songs
New songs at the Thomas White Myspace – Square One (Rough Instrumental Mix) A Bitter Pill, Look At Them (Guided By Voices cover) The Weekend + Synapse Galaxy.
12 June: People, Due to some surprisingly encouraging reactions to the new stuff recently posted, I’ve taken the dubious decision to post some more. This’ll be it ’til the new album (I don’t want to completely spoil it…) so please enjoy. The two newies are ‘A Bitter Pill’, a mini-epic concerning (among other things) a lovely afternoon spent walking the promenade in Eastbourne… and a cover of Guided By Voices’ ‘Look At Them’. Both will be appearing on the forthcoming LP, ‘The Maximalist’. Bye-bye-ta-ta. TWXXX
Current listening: Mastodon – ‘Blood Mountain’ (Reprise) Robert Wyatt – ‘Cuckooland’ (Hannibal) Quasi – ‘Featuring “Birds”‘ (Domino)
7 June: Couple of newies up to tide you lot over ’til the next record see-eth the light of day. I’ll do my best to rotate the songs up here on the m.space, but you know how these things are. For now, please enjoy two little morsels from the forthcoming ‘The Maximalist’ LP, neither in any way indicative of the sound of the rest of the record, of course.
I must just give a small shout-out to the magnificence that is ‘London Conversations’ – the new Best-of from (Saint Etienne) Words cannot express how chuffed I am that they’ve finally given ‘Lover Plays The Bass’ a UK release – a track previously only available on a French-only 7″ back in 1999. It’s a fuckin’ tune. Also on there are the timeless classics ‘You’re In A Bad Way’, ‘Lose That Girl’, ‘Filthy’ and, of course, ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’. Ruddy brilliant. TWX
Also rocking my world this week:
SUNN O)) – ‘Monoliths And Dimentions’ (Southern Lord LP) Elbow – ‘The Seldom Seen Kid (Fiction LP) REM – ‘Imitation Of Life’ (Warners Single) Fairport Convention – ‘Liege And Lief’ (Island LP) Rival Schools – ‘United By Fate’ (Mercury LP)
Me: You can also now tune in to Thomas White Radio at Last FM – not everything sounds like him but every now and again something good will come up.
Patrick Wolf 6 Music session
1st June: Patrick Wolf and band were in session on BBC 6 Music. Listen below (mouseover for a play button and wait for it to load)
Patrick Wolf Session on BBC 6 Music – interview, Theseus and Hard Times.
Hard Times – from the session, will be the next single from The Bachelor (featuring Thomas White on guitar)
Discovering Patrick Wolf
A fan blog written over the last few weeks, from an ESP/TW fan point of view.
I wasn’t expecting to hear The Bachelor so soon but it’s on his Myspace a few weeks before release (update: now just a few tracks but you can hear it on Spotify) Thomas plays on Hard Times and Oblivion, buy the album at patrickwolf.com
Recently Hard Times appeared on the player sounding just as it did live on the last tour… I admit to listening again to Steve Lamacq’s Round Table just to see what they said about it. All I can remember is some uncomplimentary half heartedness and that it was very 80’s, but I don’t remember them noticing the wonderful guitar lines (which in my opinion make the song) But it’s better if they don’t notice really, they’ll do that in 10 years time I’m sure, once Patrick and Thomas are “elder statesmen” of the music industry. They should be appreciated in the here and the now.
Patrick Wolf will never be the same again after his musical metamorphosis. Patrick himself says: “We’ve gone quite hardcore, I’ve got Tom from the Brakes doing lots of like surf guitar… and I’ve thrown away my ukelele and I’m playing lots of hard Pixies style guitar, all really distorted. So I’ve kind of gone fully electric now which is good”
I have no idea how the album came together, so I need to read more about it all. And watch a tour’s worth of live video. After only half the Drowned In Sound interview I realise just how hard it’s been for him in days gone by. The day his label ditched him: “this album’s too weird; you’re too much of a troublemaker – you’re not conventional enough for Universal Records, etcetera” – I was like, thank you, thank you! – it was such a compliment. I put the phone down, was like, yes! But then I was like… I looked at my flat, looked at my boyfriend, looked at the kitchen cupboard, and was like, Oh shit. What am I going to do?”
You know ESP have been there too, then you realise just HOW much this album means, whether Thomas graced it with his presence or not. But the fact he did makes it more special to me. Second night of the tour (18th May) Onstage, explaining the meaning of a new song: “I wrote this one about 5 years ago but it just seemed so perfect for this record… It’s about someone on a bit of a mission to be a hero and somewhere along the line it all starts to go wrong, and what was once an exciting mission turned out to be a lonely one”
Someone interrupts and asks what he feels about the music industry. He replies: “I don’t feel anything about the music industry, I don’t know what it is anymore, I’m just here for you guys. When I was 18, I wanted to be a pop star, when you see the shit that actually sells… you just end up being yourself. And I found you guys and thankyou for coming. It means a lot. Thankyou for showing some respect and for coming”
Live Video: Theseus
I may have loaded videos on youtube hoping for guitar magic (we got that and more) but instead what really stayed in my mind was the last few lines of Theseus live: “Who is this for? For you”
Watching live footage of older song The Magic Position from the same show is life affirming, the lyrics ringing out with such poignancy.
Live Video: Magic Position
And what really stands out is the passion both Patrick and Thomas put into their respective music.
‘Cause out of all the people I’ve known, The places I’ve been, The songs that I have sung, The wonders I’ve seen, Now that the dreams are all coming true, Who is the one that leads me on through, It’s you, Who puts me in the magic position, darling now, You put me in the magic position, To live, to learn, to love in the major key… And I know how you’ve hurt, And been dragged through the dirt, But c’mon get back up, It’s the time to live
20th May: Turned on the computer to read another interview at CMU, which I have to quote from… I was already thinking the best way to experience music is when you’ve had something to drink but I can’t because I don’t anymore and what a waste of an amazing experience it is… then I read Patrick’s rules for enjoying his new album and I’ve broken each and every one.
What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Make sure you are not listening on MP3 format because it cuts half the bass out of a mix (me: in that case what on earth has Myspace done to it)
Be alone at first, somewhere comfortable, with a strong drink beside you and your phone turned off (me: no drink)
Headphones must be expensive and you should maybe be half undressed (me: no chance of either)
Be prepared to move and feel or be uncomfortable at first (me: I was like an excited child?!)
Be unprepared for what happens next. Don’t tell anyone the secrets you might have discovered over the last forty minutes about yourself or me (me: but I’ve already started writing this now)
What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
Always the goal of my albums is to be make them with zero compromise to artistic integrity, and one thousand percent ambition, strength and success to deliver my music and messages across the world.
He also talks about starting off with a 4 track knowing The Beatles did and how he writes his songs alone and cut off from the world, so many similarities with ESP/TW’s way of working that he may be a spiritual twin.
The Guardian tell us: His latest album, The Bachelor, is the first where he’s allowed himself to collaborate, principally with Alec Empire, formerly of Atari Teenage Riot (on Vulture and Battle) and Fiona Brice, a string arranger. Folk musician Eliza Carthy is on there; Tilda Swinton has a speaking part on a couple of tracks. Patrick also went to Paris to work with Thomas Bloch, world expert on the cristal baschet, an amazing 1950s instrument made of glass.
Some quotes from the recent Guardian interview: “They (Universal) wanted me to have Mark Ronson as my producer. And I didn’t want to”
At one point Patrick pretends to be an out-of-control computer, over some beats he made on an Atari when he was 16. His latest single, Vulture is accompanied by an online video that sees Patrick roll around saucily in a buckle-me-up jock-strap. It’s a long way from the primary colours and school-boy shorts of the promo for 2007’s The Magic Position, his biggest hit. “My mum saw it and she was like, ‘Oh, Patrick, what are you doing?’ You know, I had my picture taken for the Burberry campaign, and I look like a gentleman, very classy. And then two months later I get my bum out for my video. She wasn’t happy”
To Patrick, however, the video is an artistic expression of where the track came from, which is a lost weekend that he spent in LA, “experimenting with certain practices”. “If a woman made a video like that it would be celebrated as sexy and artistic” he points out.
Video: Vulture
Me: That’s exactly what I thought when I first saw the video after the 9pm watershed on Myspace. Women have been portrayed in a similar vein in music for as long as I can remember; Madonna for example and that was aeons ago. We should have gone past that kind of censorship by now. Maybe things have to be done to death before they become publicly accepted, so let Patrick be the first as far as the boys go.
I think the problem is, the music industry is too used to everything becoming sterile and the same. Thank god for someone that dares to be different. That’s why I long since stopped watching music TV and reading NME, there was no point anymore. I remember when I still did read it every week, for fleeting mentions of Brakes and ESP, I saw a photo of Patrick… he didn’t look happy. Something didn’t seem right to me. I wondered if the person he was portraying was really him. That’s why his change of image comes as no suprise to me: At last!! Though I would never in a million years have expected Thomas to be involved too. It goes far past the realms of even the most far fetched fan fiction though maybe not mine…
If I was a teenager today I’d probably put Patrick on a pedestal but is that always such a bad thing when everything else in your life is rubbish. He can at least identify with the lives of many of his young fans.
The Guardian writes: His school life was terrible. When Patrick asked his supposed mentor for support, he was told, “Well, look at you, what do you expect?” “With gay or bi people, I think education still wonders if it’s a nature-versus-nurture thing. If you were black, they’d know they couldn’t change you, and racist bullying would never be condoned, but if someone is quite feminine or knows they might be gay at 13, they think they can change you with a bit of rugby”
Me: Reading Smash Hits with articles on all my heroes especially Boy George in his colourful outfits and makeup was probably the only reason I got though school every day, sitting in an empty classroom with the magazine at breaktime (and of course my Beatles tape) away from everybody else. It’s fair to say with their love of accepted 80’s bands like Duran Duran and Wham no-one else would have understood. I always dreamed of having an older brother just like George who’d let me into his magical world and teach me the things that really mattered. Instead I was the odd one out. I couldn’t relate to people my age and the things that interested them. Music was my only reason for living. These days, when I come across unexpected live footage of say Thomas White, I’m back in my bedroom again, playing the songs on repeat. Maybe this excitement is supposed to disappear when you’re older but it hasn’t yet or I wouldn’t be reading Patrick Wolf quotes.
Quotes like this…
He tells me about going to this year’s NME Awards, in his leather trousers and big vulture cape. The indie-boy crowd sang “YMCA” at him. “But look at the lead singer of the Killers [Brandon Flowers, who's also wearing feathers at the moment]. He’s seen as rock’n'roll. It’s because I’ve got a boyfriend now. There was no comment when I was living with a woman, even when I was being extremely camp, in hot pants”
21st May: I wanted to know just how unhappy he was before, even though he was creating music his fans loved. Some quotes from Popjustice say it all.
Hello Patrick. Why is your new album the best thing you have ever recorded? PW: It’s not the best thing I’ve ever recorded.
You can’t say that. PW: I can! I keep all the really good stuff for my own secret time. I record music every day for myself.
Does your label know that you are keeping the really good stuff for yourself? PW: They probably wouldn’t think it was any good at all!
… Reminds me of so many quotes that don’t need repeating from ESP about BMG. A recent Blog writes of the true horror they were made to go through: fleeingfrompigeonsrecords.wordpress.com
“The American Adventure, which, following a £1,000 recording in a Brighton studio, was rejected by SonyBMG who quickly frogmarched the brothers White into Abbey Road and spent around £100,000 recording four tracks. Listen to that record now and tell me which tracks were in Abbey Road and which were in a studio in Brighton – tell me the difference, because I’ve forgotten which track was recorded where…”
There’s a similar story from Patrick’s career where his label wanted him to change some lyrics (from Drowned In Sound)
PW: Even on Lycanthropy there were people trying to get me to change the lyrics at the last minute on The Childcatcher and Lycanthropy about cutting your penis off. I remember a funny story where somebody at the record label was saying ‘I don’t think at 18 you should be singing a song about cutting your penis off.’ And I was saying it’s all about gender exploration… you know, that you should forget about gender – that it’s more important to be yourself and to be human. They were like, ‘could you change it to cut your finger off?’ And I remember trying to do a demo of it [sings], and thinking that this is why, in the future, I’m going to be really severe. And that’s why I’ve got a name as a difficult artist to work with, because I won’t compromise at the last minute… it means I’m one of the last few people that give a shit.
In Clash magazine he says of his former label: “They wanted me to get even more commercial, and I just didn’t have the stupidity in me to want to compromise that much”
He told the Burton Mail: “I think you will find a lot more bands trying to find other ways of funding their album. Really the music industry is dying. It’s an extinct species, collapsing around us”
Me: It makes you wonder where ESP could release their next album, could they do it through Bandstocks like Patrick has (where fans buy shares in it) Their cult following probably isn’t as large as Patricks – maybe in America but not the UK. Maybe another independent label (there’s no point wishing for a major label, they just don’t fit)
22nd May: My album is ordered. Next part of the Drowned In Sound interview has an interesting quote:
We’re planning to move to San Francisco soon, and get out… my thing with this album is: I’m going to try one more time with this English music industry thing, but it’s so much better for me in America.
DiS: It can be so gripey and short-sighted here…
PW: I’m starting to get quite tired of it, really. I think I’m misunderstood by a lot of journalists, by a lot of the English public, and I can’t be bothered with being misunderstood if there are places in the world where you are understood.
23rd May: There’s a video from Liverpool on youtube but he seemed somehow uncomfortable compared to his usual performances (some people in the audience pissed him off) Maybe Liverpool made him have a panic attack.
In 2003 ESP released The American Adventure and here’s Patrick from the same year playing an accordian at London Calling. I used to beg my Dad to play his when I was a child, I was fascinated by the sound it made. This is brilliant. Who would have imagined years later he’d be dressed as a Vulture with Thomas White onstage with him…
Live video: Paris
He must collaborate with ESP on their new album somehow. Maybe a vocal backed by their music. It would be inspiring. He could add some of his folk magic.
24th May: The first live video from this tour of Battle from the new album. I could watch it forever. This is from the 20th, before Patrick got upset in Liverpool, this is him at his best. It starts with Thomas in the background but then Patrick got in the audience. In all its gorgeousness…
Live video: Battle
And from The Great Escape (you can’t see TW but he’s there)
Live video: Tristan
If I was a kid I’d have played Battle in my parents front room at full blast just like I used to play Bronski Beat and Erasure (when I wasn’t playing Culture Club, David Bowie or Marc Bolan etc) It still feels as powerful and life affirming playing it in your flat in another small minded Northern town, like it’s just yours and no-one can take it away from you: “Since I was 12, it’s been me versus the world, got so sick, of being told my identity was in minority”.
Battle the patriarch, battle for equal rights
Battle, Battle, Battle
Battle back your liberty, battle the long night
Come on
Battle, Battle, Battle
It’s your time, to join the tribe
Yes it’s time, for some victory, your time
Fight!
If you’re sick, of being a victim, of their ignorance
Then
Battle the conservative
Battle for your
Battle, Battle, Battle, Battle
Battle the homophobe but battle without war
Come on battle
Battle, Battle, Battle
It’s your time, to join the tribe
Since I was 12, it’s been me, Vs the world
I got so sick, of being told, my identity, was in minority
But now we’ve got tribe, and we’ve got some battle
And yes it’s time, don’t you know it’s time
To get some victory
Yes it’s time for some victory
Your time, my time, this is our battle
Me: One of the heroes from my youth wrote a song called No Clause 28 when I was a teenager, back in the 80’s. That’s where my musical education came from; a song protesting about Thatcher’s law that banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools. That’s the era I grew up in.
Video: No Clause 28
Why are songs like these so important for young people? Recently I saw a father being homophobic infront of his children. They were too young to even know what he meant but they will grow up with the message that gay/bisexual/transgendered people are inferior and second class. One day they will either agree or rebel against it and they’ll need heroes like Patrick Wolf and Boy George if they do. Back then it wasn’t just a personal struggle, it was a political struggle too. The over-riding message being; you must get married and have children, otherwise you are a meaningless nothing. I think Mr Wolf would disagree with a big smile on his face. No Clause 28 lyrics…
Won’t you be elated
To tamper with our pride
They say to celebrate it
Is social suicide
I’m not your average beat boy
I’m not your rebel guy
You want to make us hated
You want to make us so snide
No Clause 28
Brother you’re much too late
Don’t need this legislation
You don’t need this score
Don’t need this fascist groove
To show pornography the door
Don’t mean to be too precious
Don’t mean to be uptight
But tell me iron lady
Are we moving to the right?
25th May: Gorgeous version of Accident & Emergency, TW’s guitar is out of this world. He plays killer guitar lines with a capital K. He deserves to be known as a Guitar God. Just Listen + Watch this!! Mr Wolf as you’ve never heard him before. You’ll have to imagine Thomas just out of shot because the focus is on Patrick and rightly so…
Live video: Accident & Emergency
26th May: A whole page of videos at youtube today. The ones I chose just emit energy and excitement. 3 minute guitar intro?! I’ve never seen him play guitar like that before. Maybe he did on the last PW tour but because he’s mostly in the darkness, I might not have realised it was even a guitar. No words can express how brilliant it is and how much I enjoyed the videos tonight. So here’s my favourites from last night’s show. They will probably sound even better if you’re drunk but I went and stopped drinking… which annoys me as much as drinking a bottle of wine (because you feel like an idiot) I feel quite drunk now actually, just on the music.
Just Enjoy if you haven’t already seen these…
25 May: 02 Academy, Birmingham – Videos featuring Thomas…
Magic Position – Fabulous guitar throughout, Patrick introduces TW at the end.
Vulture – Starts with an out of this world 3 minute guitar intro.
The Messenger – From the new album with beautiful slide guitar.
27th May: I’ve watched his new video (inspiration Elvis) and read his twitter (inspiration Yoko)
PW: when i am walking on thin ice. i am liberated. danger thrills me. safety numbs my nerves. yoko. you are my greatest inspiration xp
The Bachelor is no longer on Myspace. I won’t listen to a bootleg, I’ll wait til I have my own copy. I haven’t come across a hero like Patrick for a long time.
28th May: Today I’m listening to the bsides and rarities the official PW website put up (Listen here) Has the same calming feel as TW’s solo stuff. Patrick started off as a solo artist before he got his band. He has kaleidoscope images in his new video; TW did it first in The Runaround. New post on twitter:
PW: thank you for the amazing feedback for new video. most folk expect me to spend the rest of my life on a cliff with a ukulele in gingham x p
Listening to these tender bsides, I can imagine a duet between TW and PW with their beautiful vocals resonating.
The Enemy reviewed the album: “he asks for inspiration but most who hear his call will be dedicated devotees, who’ll offer less inspiration than quiet encouragement”.
I never understand what they’re talking about. He makes music for people to enjoy, simple as that. Live versions can also add another dimension (I especially noticed this on The Messenger, see above for video)
29th May: A lot of Patrick’s set last night seemed to be acoustic as he was ill and didn’t want to jump around. Watched a long video interview with him during which he explained the meaning behind Vulture. Someone put a curse on him and said the devil would follow him forever and re-enacting it onstage is his way of keeping it at bay (I think)
1st June: Album release day. It has the lyrics in. Thomas doesn’t play on the album version of Battle (that’s Alec Empire) just Hard Times and Oblivion. In this morning’s radio interview he said he didn’t have any friends at school and when he did a fanzine he sold 10 copies and it lasted for an issue and a half. I also read an interview where he said he used to drink a bottle of Baileys in his darker times… (reading that just made me want some)
When I played the album what I noticed was what’s missing on some songs; those delicate guitar lines live. Especially the slide guitar on The Messenger.
2nd June: Patrick Wolf has been to the extremes of depression and happiness; that’s human. His songs are the story of his lives so far. This album is the result of doing exactly what he wanted whilst also recalling the times he felt out of control. He is as talented as the Brothers White. I see so many similarities in their history and their belief in the music they make; they’re as inspirational as eachother. TW’s foray into working with Patrick is just another chapter of the larger story and after this things can only become stronger.
Patrick’s music is something positive in this negative world. I can’t put into words how much it means so I’ll leave the last word to Patrick himself. But I also want to thank Thomas for dedicating his life to music (which he’s said is the only thing he can do) I hope he realises that he’s a real genuine hero just like Patrick. I’ve watched the fan videos from this tour and I’m amazed as I’ve been countless times before. It’s a cliche but he never ceases to amaze me. So this is a fan letter to him too.
Patrick Wolf: “The act of making these records was the goal, just to finish the music in a way that satisfied me. Maybe only twenty people will hear it, but it doesn’t matter, because the music is what I want it to be, not what a record company, or a marketing man, wants it to be. When I made the last one it was like, I can’t wait to get a Mercury nomination, I can’t wait to shout about it, I can’t wait to be on the cover of magazines, and on Channel Four all the time… I realise now that I’m not meant for that world and it’s alright not to be part of the whole circus. It’s ok not to be in the media all of the time, and because this time it’s not on Universal and it’s not got a huge marketing budget, it’s actually more intimate, more real, and more about who I really am. I’m happier that it’s not going to be like Duffy where I’m rammed down people’s throats and on the side of every bus. I have Eliza Carthy and Tilda Swinton by my side. It feels stronger and healthier and what it should be. In the end it’s who I am”
June 3rd: I’m still watching videos and reading interviews but this has to stop somewhere or it will turn into a Patrick Wolf fan blog. There are lots of videos from the London show on 1st June, here’s some favourites…
Songs Thomas plays on from new album, The Bachelor: Oblivion — Hard Times
Patrick Wolf on Hard Times: “This is for all of you who’ve been fired, this is for all of you who’ve been dumped, this is for all of you who’ve been debauched, this is for all of you with broken hearts, this is for all of you who want to do something that someone tells you no, this is for all of you, these are motherfucking hard times…”
More videos: The Magic Position — Battle — The Bachelor
Patrick Wolf: “It’s been a big adventure, quite a big struggle to get to this point, I had a bit of a moment today seeing the album finally up on the shelves in the record shop… This is the title track off the album, it’s called The Bachelor”
Thomas on Tour with Patrick Wolf
Thomas on Tour with Patrick Wolf – fan videos, 6 Music session + buy The Bachelor
1st June: Patrick Wolf and band in session on BBC 6 Music (featuring Thomas White on guitar) – interview, Theseus and Hard Times. Listen Again in this blog post
NME at The Great Escape (video) 1 minute in, B.S.P. talk about seeing Brakes then Patrick Wolf mentions TW: “We’ve gone quite hardcore, I’ve got Tom from the Brakes doing lots of like surf guitar… and I’ve thrown away my ukelele and I’m playing lots of hard Pixies style guitar, all really distorted. So I’ve kind of gone fully electric now which is good”
New album The Bachelor out now: Listen to some songs at the Patrick Wolf Myspace including Hard Times featuring Thomas (he also plays on album track Oblivion) Get £2 off the listed price for both the physical copy AND the digital release at Play.com just enter these codes at the checkout when you purchase: PW2GBP for the CD, and PWMP35GBP for digital. Info of how to order outside UK at patrickwolf.com here – you can also download first single Vulture for free.
Thomas also enhances many live songs with his guitar skills. Links to some fan videos below, or watch them at the Thomas White Myspace (see the comments)
16 May: Great Escape, Brighton: Watch Tristan — Bluebells
18 May: The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth: Watch The Magic Position — Vulture
20 May: The Cockpit, Leeds: Watch Battle — Accident & Emergency — A Boy Like Me
25 May: 02 Academy, Birmingham – Videos featuring Thomas…
The Magic Position – Fabulous guitar throughout, Patrick introduces TW at the end.
Vulture – Starts with an out of this world 3 minute guitar intro.
The Messenger – From the new album with beautiful slide guitar.
1 June: Electric Ballroom, London: Watch Oblivion — Hard Times
(songs Thomas plays on from new album, The Bachelor)
Patrick Wolf on Hard Times: “This is for all of you who’ve been fired, this is for all of you who’ve been dumped, this is for all of you who’ve been debauched, this is for all of you with broken hearts, this is for all of you who want to do something that someone tells you no, this is for all of you, these are motherfucking hard times…”
More videos: The Magic Position — Battle — The Bachelor
Patrick Wolf: “It’s been a big adventure, quite a big struggle to get to this point, I had a bit of a moment today seeing the album finally up on the shelves in the record shop… This is the title track off the album, it’s called The Bachelor”
Some videos from the last Tour in the Fan Blog here also just added to that post is Thomas White live audio from back in March…
maddogmagazine.co.uk – Patrick Wolf announces new single out 15th June: Hard Times is the second single to be taken from Patricks new fourth album The Bachelor. Following the first single Vulture, Hard Times is a track full of impatience, celebrating the idea of change and revolution. Perhaps the strongest and most powerful track on the album, full of heavy guitar, angry sentiment, yet complimented by a stunning, Turkish style violin and cello riff which dances throughout the track and vocals, Hard Times is a work of art in its own right and continues to show Patricks diversity as an artist and songwriter. Patrick programmed the beats …to be like a panicked soldier on the front line of a war desperately trying to send a message through a walkie talkie, battling against radio interference… The lead guitar solo is played by Tom White from the Brakes and the ondes martenot played by classical composer Thomas Bloch – patrickwolf.com
Brakes on BBC 6 Music + May shows
Brakes had a session on BBC 6 Music (29th April) Tracks played: Hey Hey and Why Tell The Truth (When It’s Easier To Lie) They also talk to Cerys Matthews. Mouseover link below for a play button (wait for it to load)
There’s some brilliant live footage from Brakes tour on youtube especially What’s In It For Me, from Oxford, 23rd April: watch here
BBC 6 Music broadcast a few songs from Camden Crawl, though the quality isn’t as good as the session above, Jackson is worth a listen (posted in the Fan Blog) Watch All Night Disco Party at youtube
Upcoming shows from Brakes Myspace
14 May: The Water Margin, Brighton
15 May: Wood Festival, Braziers Park
16 May: THE GREAT ESCAPE Komedia XFM Night w/ Little Boots, Brighton
Brakes at Camden Crawl
Here’s recordings from BBC 6 Music radio streams from various shows, to save loading them all in on the listen again, play them here. Apologies for the quality – youtube video for one song is louder. Mouseover song to play. Also see photo links below.
Watch at youtube
BBC 6 Music photos from Dublin Castle, 24 April and also The Good Mixer photos at Flickr – this set was filmed (see here) so hope it surfaces soon.
