Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf, born Patrick Denis Apps, is a singer-songwriter from Lambeth in the United Kingdom. His work sits across baroque pop, folk and singer-songwriter traditions, and he is also associated with indie, electronic and alternative music. He uses electronics, samples and a range of instruments in his recordings, including viola, keyboards, ukulele and percussion, which he plays himself.

Early work and formation

Wolf begins experimenting with sound and four-track recording at the age of 11. He develops a collection of unusual instruments, including junk-shop organs and a home-built theremin. At 14 he joins the pop-art collective Minty. Fat Cat Records later provides him with a computer and mixing tools to support his early experimentation.

At 16 he leaves home and forms Maison Crimineaux with his friend Fanny. The duo performs in France, where they are seen by Kristian Robinson, also known as Capitol K, who later releases Wolf’s debut record.

Albums and releases

Wolf’s debut album, Lycanthropy, appears in 2003 and receives strong critical attention in Europe and America. It also reaches number 39 in NME’s top LPs of the year. He later studies composition at Trinity College Music Conservatoire, and that work informs Wind in the Wires, released in 2005. The album combines British folk and chamber pop with electronic textures.

The Magic Position, released in 2007, is his third album and his first on a major label. It is a concept album centred on love, much of it written after the end of a long-term relationship. It includes collaborations with Marianne Faithfull and Edward Larrikin of Larrikin Love.

The Bachelor follows in 2009. It is initially planned as part of a double album titled Battle, with the other half intended as The Conqueror. Guest contributors include Alec Empire of Atari Teenage Riot, Tilda Swinton, Eliza Carthy and Matthew Herbert.

Lupercalia is released in 2011 on Hideout, a subsidiary of Mercury Records. He later issues Sundark and Riverlight, a double album made to mark ten years as a recording artist. It includes acoustic re-recordings of songs from across his career alongside previously unreleased tracks.

Later releases

After a long gap between singles, Wolf releases “Enter the Day” in 2022. It appears on the EP The Night Safari, released in 2023, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of his debut EP. In 2023 he also releases The Circling Sky, a collection of B-sides and rarities. In 2025 he announces Crying the Neck and the single “Dies Irae”.