Patrick Wolf at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall (October 28, 2025)

Patrick Wolf at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall (Oct 28, 2025)

 

Tour Dates

 

October 30 – Milwaukee, WI – X-Ray Arcade

November 1 – Chicago, IL – Gman Tavern

November 3 – Ferndale (Detroit), MI – The Magic Bag

November 6 – Toronto, Canada – Longboat Hall

November 10 – Somerville, MA – Center of The Arts Armory

November 13 – New York, NY – Adler Hall

November 15 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cage Live Lounge

November 19 – Washington, DC – Pearl Street

December 2 – Valencia, Spain – La Rambleta

December 3 – Madrid, Spain – Teatro Lara

I’ve been to more than a few shows at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, but this was the first seated affair, as if the beer hall was turned into concert venue, which was a good thing for it gave more people a chance to see a solo performer play an array of musical instruments in what became a very intimate performance.  

Born and raised in London, Patrick Wolf had an auspicious start with his 2003 debut Lycanthropy.  From there he released six albums in ten years.  And in the process burned both ends of the creative candle.  So in 2013 he decided to step back and take a hiatus.  But ensuing misfortunes loomed:  bankruptcy, alcoholism, being hit by a motorist in Venice, and his mother’s long illness and passing.

Wolf is on the road again supporting his new album Crying the Neck.  It’s an album that reflects on the past and lets you know that those painful moments are still present.  The album is also tied to the land and rituals of England. The name of the album is even a nod to the ancient harvest tradition in the Cornwall region when the last sheaf of corn is cut from the field. 

Wolf quietly stepped onto the stage and picked up his tenor guitar, and after a few moments of tuning, he segued into “Tell the Moon” and “Overture.” And after playing “Land’s End” he said, “I like the sound of the air conditioner with the songs.”

It was a joke that revealed how quiet it was, and how much Wolf delved into the silence between the words.  

“Can I get some more atmosphere,” Wolf continued joking, which led to a question as to whether anyone in the audience had heard of the boardgame Atmosfear.  There were no raised hands, mainly because it was a game Wolf played by himself as a kid, some twenty years ago.  A board game that came with a VHS tape.  Thus, the atmosphere!  

After putting down the tenor guitar, Wolf would move onto other instruments like the dulcimer, the keys, an electric guitar and lute.  Mostly he played an electric viola for most of his solos, an instrument that he first learned to play when he was a boy.  

Much of Wolf’s new album mostly revolves around his mother’s passing.  He made an interesting point before he played “Lughnasa” a song named after the Gaelic festival marking the start of the harvest season, a song that mentions John Barleycorn, the personification of barley with its death (harvest) and rebirth (resow). John Barleycorn is also the spirit of alcohol, which is something Wolf was struggling with during his mother’s passing.  He said that mythology and folklore are there to help us.  

Wolf revisited some of his songs from his more youthful and energetic days like “Wind in the Wires” and “To the Lighthouse” and demonstrated that he may be a ridiculously talented musician, but he is also a wonderful singer.  

Then he played “Jupiter” with an electric guitar solo, before moving back to more folklore with “Oozlum”, a song about a mythological bird that flies backwards and is always looking at its tail:  

Then Wolf treated the audience to the first song he ever wrote, “A Boy Like Me,” a song about looking forward. And as he sang the lyrics, he did a running commentary as to where he ended up: