Recap Patrick Wolf at the Fine Line

If you haven't read it, NYLON magazine is a neon glossy aimed at shaping the tastes of young women, a kind of Seventeen for the budding hipster. The bands on the NYLON Summer Music Tour are equally glossy and photogenic—none more so than headliner Patrick Wolf—so it was a pity that all the pretty young things had such a sparse crowd to play for at the Fine Line on Sunday night. Despite the efforts of promoter Mr. Chan Presents to dole out free guest-list spots via Twitter, there couldn’t have been more than 125 people in attendance.

Plastiscines, an all-girl quartet from France, followed indie opener Jaguar Love. Their sequined dresses and use of confetti poppers made for a bubbly and upbeat vibe. St. Louis punk band Living Things was the most incongruous act in the mix, sticking to a loud, fast, dissatisfied, and vaguely political agenda.

Hanging loosely about the cold, drafty club during the opening sets, the crowd eventually pressed toward the stage for Patrick Wolf. With his backing band clad in black, the talented multi-instrumentalist with a flair for the outré strode onstage in a red waistcoat and jeans worn like britches, revealing cloud-patterned socks. Whereas other performers may have been disappointed or even offended by the light turnout, Wolf used it to his advantage, crafting an intimate and powerful show. (He thanked the audience several times throughout the night, remarking that he was grateful for “a musical audience, one with good ears who supplies applause at the right moments.”)

As the building noise of “Kriegspiel” morphed into “Oblivion” from his new effort, The Bachelor, Wolf straddled his Flying V guitar and unleashed his expansive tenor. He has revealed in interviews that the songs from The Bachelor are very personal, and his passion showed throughout the performance. Between songs, he rambled through charmingly outlandish stories about ferret catching, drag queens, and being inspired by Tom Robbins. Silliness aside, Wolf proved his vocal talent and his instrumental prowess, playing guitar, keys, violin, ukulele, and dulcimer at various points during the set. 

Unlike other bands cuffed to their set lists, Wolf called audibles and switched things around at will, striking up the delicate, haunting “Augustine” at an audience member’s request, and playing “Wind In The Wires” because a broken ukulele prevented him from doing so at a previous tour stop in Denver. During the encore, he let loose his showier, campier side, stalking and shimmying and getting into audience members’ faces while performing fan favorites “Tristan” and “Vulture.” He ended with "Happy Birthday," sung Stevie Wonder-style, in honor of Plastiscines guitarist Marine Neuilly.

Set list
"Kriegspiel"
"Oblivion"
"Bluebells"
"Count Of Casualty"
"Damaris"
"Blackdown"
"Wind In The Wires"
"Augustine"
"The Bachelor"
"The Libertine"
"Battle"
"Who Will"
"Theseus"
"Hard Times"
"The Magic Position"

Encore
"Tristan"
"Vulture"
"Happy Birthday"

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf

Lillian Berlin of Living Things

Bosh Berlin of Living Things