Patrick Wolf is celebrating 10 years of recording music by releasing a double-album this September, entitled Sundark & Riverlight.
The album will feature re-recordings of songs spanning his five studio albums to date, and will be followed up with a world tour including London’s The Old Vic and other UK dates with support from Abi Wade.
Speaking about the new project, Wolf said:
This project started when I realised I had reached a 10 year jubilee as a recording artist. My first EP came out when I was 19 and in the 10 years hence, my voice has grown with me. I started out playing with just one instrument and singing with no microphones in folk clubs, on the streets and galleries. I missed that raw communication so much and the spontaneous energy of that live situation. When I went to the studio I thought I was going to record a one-man solo album, but I started to dream, and heard bassoons and bodhrans. This is my first totally acoustic album and so I made certain that we were working with analogue tape and recording equipment. I went on a mission to find a grand piano with the best bass response still full of character and I was told about Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, but the piano there was too new for me. So Peter lent me his Bosendorfer Grand and later his bodhran and hammer dulcimer – the album and I are very grateful.
The songs are not so much a ‘greatest hits’ or ‘best of’ style album, but more a reflection of the landmark Wolf has reached in his musical journey so far. Wolf added:
As a songwriter I realised that some songs take on a life of their own once released. I never knew that “Paris” from Lycanthropy would become such an anthem for my crowd. Often when I sing the songs live after they are recorded, new words or meanings come to light then i improvise depending on how I am feeling that night. I thought It was time after ten years to take a moment to understand and document what these songs have grown up to be while I’ve been travelling them around the world the last decade.
UK TOUR DATES:
AUGUST
29 The Old Vic, London
NOVEMBER
6 Lowry (Quays Theatre), Manchester
7 The Gate, Cardiff
20 The Sage, Gateshead
24 Arts Centre, Warwick
25 Cottiers, Glasgow
DECEMBER
9 The Ritz, Penzance
10 St. Geroges, Bristol
11 St. Mary’s Church, Brighton
Sundark & Riverlight has a release date of September 25th set.
