Even before he takes to The Sugar Club stage, it’s clear from the range of instruments awaiting him that London singer Patrick Wolf wears his classical heart on his glittery sleeve. Over the course of tonight’s show, the 27 year-old will easily and gracefully move from harp to ukelele, violin to keyboards, and back again, all while shaking his buns in a tight red jumpsuit. One thing’s clear – this boy’s a pro.
Emerging on stage, Wolf and his five-piece band take their places and launch straight into a set that perfectly illustrates how diverse – both as a songwriter and indeed, as a performer – this young man is. A broken mic stand means he must temporarily “play one-handed harp.” We’re by no means short-changed though, as he delicately plucks the haunting melody of ‘Bluebells’ – performed as a solo piece to a hushed crowd. Minutes later, he’s bounding about the stage to the heady gypsy stylings of ‘The Libertine’ – complete with his own wild ukelele accompaniment.
Next, ‘The Bachelor’, with its earthy tribal beats, leads into ‘Tristan’ – its sax riff offering a wonderfully bluesy feel.
Eager to make us feel included, Wolf strides through the crowd, grinding up against a bemused man in the aisle, then sitting on a delighted lady’s knee. Ever the gent, he explains afterwards, “I just needed to step closer to that sexual energy I’ve been feeling.” Hey, we’re not here to judge!
As the set draws to a close, the quality doesn’t waver. ‘Together’, for example, is the reason Mammies will forever march their sulky children off to overpriced violin lessons. Even a wonderfully Spinal Tap moment (the batteries in Wolf’s violin die as he plays) can’t hamper things; he laughs as he exclaims “I’m such a professional musician!”
When finally he leaves and returns to the stage for the mandatory encore, it’s sax-tastic new single ‘The City’ that gets an airing, followed by crowd favourite ‘The Magic Position’. “Thank you Dublin,” he cries. Patrick – the pleasure was all ours.