Patrik Fitzgerald

Patrik Fitzgerald

Patrik Fitzgerald is a singer-songwriter and poet from London, United Kingdom. Born in 1956 and raised in Stratford, London, he begins recording and performing during the punk movement in 1977 after a short period working as an actor. His work sits between punk, folk and spoken-word performance, with early songs built around acoustic guitar, sparse studio effects and lyrics that focus on social comment.

Early work and Small Wonder

Fitzgerald starts out as a busker and tries to get work through David Bowie’s former manager Ken Pitt and later Noel Gay, both without success. He also auditions for London SS in 1976 alongside Mick Jones and Tony James. He becomes a regular at the Small Wonder record shop in London, and when the shop opens a label he is one of the first artists to submit a demo. The label issues his first three EPs, including Safety-Pin Stuck In My Heart, which remains his best-known recording and which he describes as “a love song for punk music”. He also supports The Jam on their national tour.

Polydor and the late 1970s

Polydor signs Fitzgerald and releases his first album, Grubby Stories, in 1979. The record is made with established punk musicians including Robert Blamire of Penetration and John Maher of the Buzzcocks; 7 of its 17 tracks are recorded with these players. Two singles are also released around the album. For live work, Fitzgerald tours with Colin Peacock on guitar, Charlie Francis on bass and Rab Fae Beith on drums. He also appears in the post-punk documentary Rough Cut and Ready Dubbed in 1979/80, contributing the title song Island of Lost Souls and performing Tonight with Colin Peacock on keyboards.

Acoustic recordings and side projects

After being dropped by Polydor, Fitzgerald continues with solo acoustic concerts and moves further away from his earlier ironic style towards darker writing. He releases a single under the pseudonym Josef Garrett, then records backing tapes on a borrowed Revox, playing all the parts himself. These recordings are issued by Red Flame as his second album, Gifts and Telegrams, in 1982. Around this period he forms Ghosts of Individuals, a loose group of solo performers featuring himself, David Harrow, U. V. Pop, Kevin Hewick and Anne Clark.

Brass arrangements and later 1980s work

In 1983 Fitzgerald works with clarinet player Alistair Roberts and three brass players on Drifting Towards Violence. The album is mainly acoustic, with a sombre brass sound and direct lyrics. It is released by the Belgian label Himalaya and receives little promotion. He then tours Europe solo and keeps a loyal following there. In 1986 he issues Tunisian Twist, which shifts towards a more commercial sound and uses guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and brass. Its songs deal with subjects including terrorism, surrogate birth and trade unionism in the context of Thatcher-era economic policy. That year he also contributes a duet with Anne Clark to the compilation Abuse - Artists For Animals, which addresses bullfighting.

Later years, acting and recordings

With little commercial success, Fitzgerald works as a waiter at the British House of Commons, then moves to Normandy in 1988 before returning to England three years later. In the early 1990s he resumes gigging and also returns to acting, including a production of Molière’s The Miser at Stratford. In 1993 Red Flame releases Treasures from the Wax Museum, a compilation of early 1980s material with four new tracks. Later releases include Pillow tension on Lazy Dog in 1995, Room service on Beat Bedsit Records in 2001, Floating Population in 2006, Dark side of the room in 2006 as a split CD with POG, and the split 7-inch Spirit of Revolution in 2007 with Attila the Stockbroker. Floating Population is issued to coincide with a European tour with Attila the Stockbroker, and includes new songs as well as alternative versions and recordings from across his career.