Tonight was the first time I think that I've been to the academy and not felt like it could have been a better night if I was drunk - in the case of the Kapptive gigs of 2007/8. I don't mean paralytic, but I did find it unusual standing in line not sneaking a bottle of vodka in.
I was a bit hesitant in finding out that the support act was a hip hop artist called Rowdy Superst*r. As anyone would be. I couldn't at all picture any hip hop artist supporting Patrick Wolf as it was, and well, quite frankly he wasn't what I had paid to see. I'm a fan of "hip hop" and "rap" just as much as the next person, I have all of the Dizzee Rascal, Childish Gambino, Lil Wayne and Eminem discography's on my hard drive(s) but a rapper called Rowdy Superstar... You gotta be kidding?
To my pleasant surprise it was one of the best support acts I think I've seen (third only to The Cribs + Foals supporting Bloc Party and Boy & Bear and Alessi's Ark at Laura Marling last April.) I wasn't hoping for much when two dancers (The Hype Girls) - one rather moody looking - came and took there positions on stage. I was patiently awaiting a moment similar too the Glasvagas incident at the 2008 Academy 1 Wombats gig (no judgement please, it was some time ago and they had a catchy song at the time + to my boy and Eugene McGuinness supported, so... It was an over all ok call - I think it was also a birthday present) when Glasvagas got booed off for being boring. It wasn't until a sequin covered Rowdy Superst*r came on stage in a flamboyant rage that I was taken by surprise. I was expecting to dislike who ever came on but through hilarious showmanship, a catchy beat with witty lyrics and a exciting presence I was happily taken-a-back. It was a really unusual performance, a mass focus on the dancing and lighting but I really liked it. Its worth a listen defiantly, its a shame you can't really get his stage presence through the tracks alone. This is the best I could find: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV7zUKT3dPk - "Knick-Knack paddy wack, your getting boned." Either way, he was really good support act and had the audience eating out of his hand.
It seemed like we were waiting forever for Wolf to get on stage, there was the usual push to the front that you get after the support acts been on, the tall people getting in the way of your previously perfect view of the stage and a bitchy girl who thinks that she's all that getting touchy because you've been pushed up against her and casually starts bitching to her friends who probably don't care. (None of this happened to me, just my friends luckily, though I did have the whole couple stood in front of me and the boy is WAY protective over his girlfriend situation.) Just after 9, PW's band set up and he strolls on in a burgundy/red suit thing with a matching scarf and a long sleeved shirt with what I assume were button decorations.. but they might not have been. Opening with new song "Time of My Life" he looked so angry and arrogant and my heart dropped... before he opened his voice I felt like I was watching the dick head that's on university challenge at the moment representing York, but as soon as he sung and spoke to the audience and smiled I remembered why I lived on his first 3 albums in lower school. Now, I wasn't the biggest fan of The Bachelor album, it was darker, more electro and depressing to listen too, musically, probably just as good but it was a completely different direction to his previous albums and didn't have quite the same instrumental focus. However, even his tracks from that album (Hard Times, The Bachelor and Damaris) were absolutely superb. It was entirely what I expected, starting a song on a Harp and ending on a Violin. It was musically perfect.
It was an unusual crowd, half were stood watching in awe, the others were dancing and singing away like it was the best thing they've ever heard; more than once I found myself watching the amazing musician to the side of the stage who was swapping instruments just as much as Wolf and absolutely beasted the sax. It's hard to pin-point my favourite bit, the nostalgia of Bluebells (where I'm quite sure he sung straight to me and it was just us two there) the roar of "My name is Tristan and I'm alive" or standing quite silent listening to "Don't say no"
There was, of course, a costume change before the encore when he came back on with an black velvet open chest suit (I think it was a velvet suit, I was too busy looking at the tattoo of a unicorn on his chest) and glitter wiped across one side of his face and chest. Storming back on and ending with The Magic Position.
I don't even know what else to say. It was mint, musically amazing, the crowd atmosphere was a bit shoddy because no one could decide if we should stand and listen or dance and sing but on a musical basis, probably the best gig I've been to, slightly better that Laura Marling on her own, but that gig had amazing support artists which probably levels it out and they were completely different kind of gigs and artists so, I guess its not fair, and Bloc Party was only better because the audience were on fire and so were the support bands.
Both Rowdy Superst*r and Patrick Wolf were well on form, for those that haven't heard of either check out: Rowdy Superst*r - Tik Tok and my Patrick Wolf Spotify Playlist of my Favourite ones. But I am doing this at 3 in the morning.. so, I might be misjudging them by name. Check them.
Anyway, had a sweet night, got myself a mug and got re-tweeted by Rowdy too!
Hope you enjoyed reading this, lots of love and God Bless, L x
It seemed like we were waiting forever for Wolf to get on stage, there was the usual push to the front that you get after the support acts been on, the tall people getting in the way of your previously perfect view of the stage and a bitchy girl who thinks that she's all that getting touchy because you've been pushed up against her and casually starts bitching to her friends who probably don't care. (None of this happened to me, just my friends luckily, though I did have the whole couple stood in front of me and the boy is WAY protective over his girlfriend situation.) Just after 9, PW's band set up and he strolls on in a burgundy/red suit thing with a matching scarf and a long sleeved shirt with what I assume were button decorations.. but they might not have been. Opening with new song "Time of My Life" he looked so angry and arrogant and my heart dropped... before he opened his voice I felt like I was watching the dick head that's on university challenge at the moment representing York, but as soon as he sung and spoke to the audience and smiled I remembered why I lived on his first 3 albums in lower school. Now, I wasn't the biggest fan of The Bachelor album, it was darker, more electro and depressing to listen too, musically, probably just as good but it was a completely different direction to his previous albums and didn't have quite the same instrumental focus. However, even his tracks from that album (Hard Times, The Bachelor and Damaris) were absolutely superb. It was entirely what I expected, starting a song on a Harp and ending on a Violin. It was musically perfect.
It was an unusual crowd, half were stood watching in awe, the others were dancing and singing away like it was the best thing they've ever heard; more than once I found myself watching the amazing musician to the side of the stage who was swapping instruments just as much as Wolf and absolutely beasted the sax. It's hard to pin-point my favourite bit, the nostalgia of Bluebells (where I'm quite sure he sung straight to me and it was just us two there) the roar of "My name is Tristan and I'm alive" or standing quite silent listening to "Don't say no"
There was, of course, a costume change before the encore when he came back on with an black velvet open chest suit (I think it was a velvet suit, I was too busy looking at the tattoo of a unicorn on his chest) and glitter wiped across one side of his face and chest. Storming back on and ending with The Magic Position.
I don't even know what else to say. It was mint, musically amazing, the crowd atmosphere was a bit shoddy because no one could decide if we should stand and listen or dance and sing but on a musical basis, probably the best gig I've been to, slightly better that Laura Marling on her own, but that gig had amazing support artists which probably levels it out and they were completely different kind of gigs and artists so, I guess its not fair, and Bloc Party was only better because the audience were on fire and so were the support bands.
Both Rowdy Superst*r and Patrick Wolf were well on form, for those that haven't heard of either check out: Rowdy Superst*r - Tik Tok and my Patrick Wolf Spotify Playlist of my Favourite ones. But I am doing this at 3 in the morning.. so, I might be misjudging them by name. Check them.
Anyway, had a sweet night, got myself a mug and got re-tweeted by Rowdy too!
Hope you enjoyed reading this, lots of love and God Bless, L x
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