Liverpool Sound City 2009: Friday

Various venues, Liverpool 22 May

01 June 2009

Yorkshire has been responsible for some of the most successful British bands in recent years and whilst Pulled Apart By Horses are unlikely to ever match the chart-topping success of Arctic Monkeys, their raw pop aggression is certainly capable of earning themselves a large alternative following in the near future. Tonight, anthems like ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’ and ‘High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’, go down a storm in Korova and Pulled Apart By Horses unerring ability to outdo even the most schizophrenic of Biffy Clyro breakdowns transfers fantastically to the live arena.
 
Elsewhere there are diva tantrums being thrown by Patrick Wolf. Firstly, he seems unimpressed by the amount of people who confess to illegally obtaining future release ‘The Bachelor’, but he quickly becomes more gracious joking about the fact that he’ll have to buy his tea from, local fast food restaurant, Bazooka Chicken, which goes down well. Later in the show his microphone headset malfunctions and causes him to throw it to the ground mid-song, demanding that the band begin again. Ironically though, it’s these extreme attitudes, which shape Wolf’s light/dark musical landscape; which is brought to life so successfully tonight.
 
Much of the set has yet to be released officially, but new songs like ‘Hard Times’ and ‘Damaris’ are so bombastic that even unfamiliarity cannot hinder their live success. Older offerings like ‘The Libertine’ and ‘Tristan’ bristle with electro-angst and explode onstage, but strangely seem to provoke less of a response than the newer, unknown, material. Much of tonight’s show is more theatrical than many of Wolf’s peers, often giving the impression of a stage show rather than a concert. It’s therefore unfortunate that this, more highbrow event, is somewhat ruined at the last by calls for Patrick to ‘get his cock out’. Visibly annoyed by this particular crowd participation Wolf misses the final three songs on the setlist, cutting the evening short and leaving a sour taste in the mouth of those who have more respect for the flamboyant showman.

By Jamie Barker.

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