Mika VS Patrick Wolf

[sariflor]

Oh goodness people, don't feed into the ridiculous rivalry of this article. Mika and Patrick Wolf are nothing alike and shouldn't even be compared--it's the height of lazy stupidity to pit them against each other when they have totally different sound, totally different audiences, totally different goals and just about everything else, except for the fact that they're both UK-based, young, and arguably androgynous.

 

I've expressed my opinion here before about PW's calling Mika a twat, but even though I hold it was definitely uncalled for, if I were him and being compared to a relative newcomer for no damn reason all the time, I might feel like saying some stupid stuff too.

 

Anyway, I saw Patrick Wolf in New York last night, and he absolutely blew me away. Best show experience I've had in ages, and his songs sound so much incredibly better live than on CD that I hate to have only the CD to listen to. He seems to work in smaller, intimate settings best (while as Mika seems to shine on larger stages with larger crowds)--so I wouldn't put Somerset House as a gauge of his ability. You have to be able to be up close with him--he makes a very personal type of music.

 

It really was all sorts of amazing for me--just absolutely exhilarating and wonderful and glorious and uplifting, and I would heartily advise anyone who has the chance to see him to go, and not let a stupid media-promoted argument (in which Mika never engaged himself that we know of, anyway) keep you away from a brilliant experience and gorgeous music.

 

--Jack

 

 

I just want to comment on the 'bold' part of your post. I think that it basically comes down to personal taste, and of course what I think is based on mine...

 

I agree with what you said about Mika and PW being different, but unfortunately everyone is always compared to everyone else and it's a fact of life .

 

When I saw PW at Somerset House I was right at the front with about 3 people in front of me, so it was not a matter of not being close enough....As I said earlier, when I watched I did like him, but by no means he blew me away.

 

It had a lot to do with the fact that he seemed to be too rehearsed and putting on too much of a show, and also to be very enamoured of himself...

 

He seemed very fake to me, like it was all put on, and like he was trying so hard to "be different" or "be special" , and that just doesn't do it for me. He came across to me as super manufactured and not spontaneous at all, no matter what he was trying to appear as.

 

As I said, this was BEFORE the "rivalry" started, which as you well say Mika never went into, but on the other hand PW cannot expect to post something like what he did, and then expect people to just forget about it or swipe it under the carpet.

 

He made that stupid bulletin, which was offensive, uncalled for, and just mean and unfair. He had just been Mika's support act, for goodness sake, what does that action say of the person he is?

Even when Mika had posted blogs saying how he thought PW was "a genius". Where was his respect?

If he doesn't want these things brought up, he should think before he attacks another person and grow up a little.

 

I am sorry but to me that is massive, it means a lot, and that means that I am not supporting this person in his career.

 

Of course this is my opinion and my personal choice, and I am not saying that anyone else should feel the same way; I am just explaining how I view it.

 

Now about Mika and larger settings, I must say that imo Mika shines in both small and large venues.

 

In fact I prefer the "feel" that his show has in smaller venues, because that is when the communication with the audience works better....what am I saying, when I like an artist I always think that they sound and feel better in smaller venues.....

 

A good artist in my opinion will perhaps do better in one type of setting, but will always deliver as well in either. That is where their quality is tested, no?

 

And I would like to add: if Patrick did not want to be associated or "compared" to Mika, it was a very poor move on his part to act as his support at the Somerset House gig.

All I can make of it is that PW is just envious of Mika's success, and let his emotions slip out and rule his actions for a bit.

And that is why I say that he should grow up.

[JackViolet]

When I saw PW at Somerset House I was right at the front with about 3 people in front of me, so it was not a matter of not being close enough....As I said earlier, when I watched I did like him, but by no means he blew me away.

 

What I meant is, I doubt performing at a huge venue with an audience that was not there to see him would allow him to give his best show, considering that by "intimate" I mean he likes performing in places where you feel like everyone knows everyone else and they all know him as well. It doesn't matter how close you are if it's a large venue and a large stage--he's the one who gets lost in it, not the audience. He's kind of shy and withdrawn often; he struggles to be an extrovert onstage. Even his "antics" are really just a way of retreating into himself.

 

I am still confused at Mika fans complaining about anyone else being "weird" though. I love weird.

 

He seemed very fake to me, like it was all put on, and like he was trying so hard to "be different" or "be special" , and that just doesn't do it for me. He came across to me as super manufactured and not spontaneous at all, no matter what he was trying to appear as.

 

Hahah, I would definitely say PW is the opposite of fake--he's all authentic, which is why he's NOT consistent. People aren't consistent in their emotions: to be consistent is to put on a public face and be a bit "fake." I mean, that was what the whole "twat" fiasco was all about--he obviously has no filters, so whatever it was that upset him that day, he went and posted that bulletin without thinking. A more polished, fake, artificial--also "professional" since that's what professionalism means--person would have thought twice, would have considered the consequences, etc etc--but he obviously did not.

 

Mika's a genuine person in terms of not compromising himself, but he's very professional, and very, very good at being artificial when he needs to be--and I admire him for that, because it is really incredibly hard to do as well as he does it. It's also very smart and will help him get far. Being a control freak, he does a great job of running on a script while as being spontaneous on top of it.

 

Patrick Wolf however, has no script. (I mean, he doesn't even follow his set lists, since he only plays whatever he feels like playing that night.) That tends to become problematic sometimes, but whatever, to me his performance yesterday was heavenly.

 

--Jack

[sparkly1]

I was also at the very front at Somerset House and when he started to take his clothes off and trip over stuff, I did think OFGS is there any need, it made him come across as trying too hard, it just didn't work for me all that, maybe I just didn't like his performing style, but I DID enjoy a few of his songs. (though I wouldn't bother buying a full cd of his or anything).

 

I the top and bottom of it is, I think the Mika fans gave him a good reception and it felt like a smack in our faces as well as Mika's and so instead of gaining more fans he lost out a bit.

 

PS. I wasn't complaining about him being weird, I just found him weird but a kind of weird that was a turn off I suppose.

[sariflor]

What I meant is, I doubt performing at a huge venue with an audience that was not there to see him would allow him to give his best show, considering that by "intimate" I mean he likes performing in places where you feel like everyone knows everyone else and they all know him as well. It doesn't matter how close you are if it's a large venue and a large stage--he's the one who gets lost in it, not the audience. He's kind of shy and withdrawn often; he struggles to be an extrovert onstage. Even his "antics" are really just a way of retreating into himself.

 

I am still confused at Mika fans complaining about anyone else being "weird" though. I love weird.

 

Hahah, I would definitely say PW is the opposite of fake--he's all authentic, which is why he's NOT consistent. People aren't consistent in their emotions: to be consistent is to put on a public face and be a bit "fake." I mean, that was what the whole "twat" fiasco was all about--he obviously has no filters, so whatever it was that upset him that day, he went and posted that bulletin without thinking. A more polished, fake, artificial--also "professional" since that's what professionalism means--person would have thought twice, would have considered the consequences, etc etc--but he obviously did not.

 

Mika's a genuine person in terms of not compromising himself, but he's very professional, and very, very good at being artificial when he needs to be--and I admire him for that, because it is really incredibly hard to do as well as he does it. It's also very smart and will help him get far. Being a control freak, he does a great job of running on a script while as being spontaneous on top of it.

 

Patrick Wolf however, has no script. (I mean, he doesn't even follow his set lists, since he only plays whatever he feels like playing that night.) That tends to become problematic sometimes, but whatever, to me his performance yesterday was heavenly.

 

--Jack

 

Ok, just a couple of thoughts: I think that PW likes to pretend that he's that way, but to me he's very rehearsed....He likes to "surprise" people and be "different", which is half of his image...but to me that is only what it is: an image.

His antics on stage to me come across as a desperate attempt to be "different" and "interesting".

I mean the guy even took his shoe off and dropped it on his head, for feccksakes, LOL! To me he is like a 5 year old desperately trying to be "noticed".

Of course I agree with the fact that Mika is obviously also rehearsed to a point, everyone is, but what I find different is that Patrick is pretending to not be rehearsed if that makes any sense....

I still think that PW needs a lot of growing up to do, and to get a bit more of the Mika control himself .

[sariflor]

I was also at the very front at Somerset House and when he started to take his clothes off and trip over stuff, I did think OFGS is there any need, it made him come across as trying too hard, it just didn't work for me all that, maybe I just didn't like his performing style, but I DID enjoy a few of his songs. (though I wouldn't bother buying a full cd of his or anything).

 

I the top and bottom of it is, I think the Mika fans gave him a good reception and it felt like a smack in our faces as well as Mika's and so instead of gaining more fans he lost out a bit.

 

PS. I wasn't complaining about him being weird, I just found him weird but a kind of weird that was a turn off I suppose.

 

 

Totally agree with that Sparkly!

[Christine]

I wouldn't say they are compared for no good reason. They have an affiliation, with Patrick Wolf remixing Love Today, Mika always touting him in public and PW playing support at Somerset House.

 

Mika spent many years having doors slammed in his face because he was too weird. Now that the doors for young British male pop weirdness have opened I'm sure some are wondering why Patrick Wolf isn't walking through, especially since he got there first. Even if their music isn't the same, there is some expectation that their success might be more or less equal.

 

Since it's not, people (including PW) like to take the opportunity to slag off Mika and imply (or state outright) that he's pandering to a low-brow artless public. The low-brow artless public is understandably going to get its back up and counter that Mika is more successful simply because he is better.

 

Anyway I think it's worthwhile to see anyone with a modicum of talent at a small venue, especially since it doesn't cost much more than a movie. The intimacy goes a long way towards making a good show. I am not expecting anything like the Mika experience, but I do think it will be entertaining.

 

I'm not thrilled with the twat comment and the reasoning behind it, but whatever. Lily Allen can be a real cow at times but I still wouldn't miss her show.

[greta]

{..patry wolfie has ever cancelled a gig?..}

[JackViolet]

Ha, Christine says I was right and that PW was "phemomenal." Damn right I'm right!

 

And I'll agree that he and Mika have an affiliation, due to working together and some of the other things listed, but aside from androgyny their image isn't at all the same (both glammy, but such different types of glam!), and their sound is not anything alike. So for music journalists to pit them against each other as though they are in competition, or would appeal to the same people... unless people have started listening to music based solely on the height of singers and the amount of makeup they wear.

 

--Jack

[Lomster]

Ha, Christine says I was right and that PW was "phemomenal." Damn right I'm right!

--Jack

 

I don't think that it's a matter of being "right" or "wrong".

It just has to do with personal taste, which will obviously differ from person to person.

Fullstop.

[Em']

I don't think that it's a matter of being "right" or "wrong".

It just has to do with personal taste, which will obviously differ from person to person.

Fullstop.

 

Lomster, Jack was joking.

 

What I mean by joking (I can't find the right word), is that Christine is someone well known on the forum and with opinions, which is why Jack said this.

[JackViolet]

Besides, I meant "right" about him putting on a good show and that she'd enjoy it, since I told her to go see him. I wasn't saying that everyone ever should love him or his music.

 

(Though I really think if they saw him live in a small club, they would like his music. As for liking him, well, most people here aren't likely to be his new best friend anyway, so what does it matter? )

 

--Jack

[greta]

{the title of this thread is so journalistic:naughty:catchy and wrong}

 

It's good to see people expressing their own opinions..

 

i don't know really what JV would say with that lines coz there aren't emoticons:bleh:

[Haeschen02]

Oh goodness people, don't feed into the ridiculous rivalry of this article. Mika and Patrick Wolf are nothing alike and shouldn't even be compared--it's the height of lazy stupidity to pit them against each other when they have totally different sound, totally different audiences, totally different goals and just about everything else, except for the fact that they're both UK-based, young, and arguably androgynous.

 

I've expressed my opinion here before about PW's calling Mika a twat, but even though I hold it was definitely uncalled for, if I were him and being compared to a relative newcomer for no damn reason all the time, I might feel like saying some stupid stuff too.

 

Anyway, I saw Patrick Wolf in New York last night, and he absolutely blew me away. Best show experience I've had in ages, and his songs sound so much incredibly better live than on CD that I hate to have only the CD to listen to. He seems to work in smaller, intimate settings best (while as Mika seems to shine on larger stages with larger crowds)--so I wouldn't put Somerset House as a gauge of his ability. You have to be able to be up close with him--he makes a very personal type of music.

 

It really was all sorts of amazing for me--just absolutely exhilarating and wonderful and glorious and uplifting, and I would heartily advise anyone who has the chance to see him to go, and not let a stupid media-promoted argument (in which Mika never engaged himself that we know of, anyway) keep you away from a brilliant experience and gorgeous music.

 

--Jack

 

After having read the title I thought about how to comment on it. By the beginning of the 3rd page I made up my mind about something like "They should not be compared. They are too different...". Then I read Jack's post, which has all my thoughts in it. Jack, you saved me a lot of time . I absolutely agree with you. I have to admit that I didn't know what to make of Patrick when I saw him in London. He just seemed so "weird". But after the show his songs rather than Mika's remained in my head. Maybe it was partly because I already know Mika's music more or less by heart but nevertheless it left a certain impression on me. I ituned his album when I got back home and have to admit that I sometimes even skip a Mika song in favour of PW .

Anyway, his show has definitely been an experience which I'd love to repeat although I think that he won't be in Germany soon again .

[JackViolet]

By the way, when I went to the PW show, I talked to everyone there about Mika and why I liked him so much, haha. See, it doesn't have to be a "betrayal" (like Mika would care, ha), it can be a platform to get more people to give Mika a listen as well!

 

--Jack

[greta]

By the way, when I went to the PW show, I talked to everyone there about Mika and why I liked him so much, haha. See, it doesn't have to be a "betrayal" (like Mika would care, ha), it can be a platform to get more people to give Mika a listen as well!

 

--Jack

I hope PW would go in my country, but maybe it's a difficoult market:cool:

[Em']

I hope PW would go in my country, but maybe it's a difficoult market:cool:

 

Same problem in mine....

[Christine]

Ha, Christine says I was right and that PW was "phemomenal." Damn right I'm right!

 

... unless people have started listening to music based solely on the height of singers and the amount of makeup they wear.

 

--Jack

 

Ha, Mika would never wear that much makeup. PW was covered from head to toe! And it's not subtle I'm-trying-to-look-not-washed-out-on-camera makeup either. It's a look-at-me-I'm-all-glittery declaration.

 

And yes Jack you are right of course! Musically he was absolutely phenomenal. Come on, the man can sing and play violin at the same time.

 

Personality wise he comes across as incredibly sweet. The girls next to me said "awww....I luuuuv him" just about every time he spoke because he was so gentle, charming and seemed genuinely happy to be performing. If I didn't know better I'd say he wasn't even capable of making the twat comment about a colleague.

 

I absolutely agree with you. I have to admit that I didn't know what to make of Patrick when I saw him in London. He just seemed so "weird". But after the show his songs rather than Mika's remained in my head.

 

His first outfit was a bit over the top for me, but otherwise I wasn't getting "too weird" from him, especially where the music was concerned. If he put some relatively regular pants and a shirt on he'd be as mainstream as Mika.

 

I suppose that's where the bitterness directed at Mika stemmed from. PW must be aware of this but has decided that he'd rather express himself in the way he chooses than appear mainstream for the sake of courting an audience that would otherwise find him too weird. I guess he expects others to do the same.

 

I think that's unfair because I believe that standing up on stage in a ringmasters outfit, dancing around with people in animal costumes and singing about lollipops is how Mika chooses to express himself. 12 months ago anyone would have told you that was too weird to appeal to the mainstream and it's harsh to say that Mika is somehow selling out when he's taken the risks he has. Just because it worked doesn't mean his artistry has been compromised.

 

Oh and I don't know if Jack had this in NY, but the PW fangirls brought their own Mika effects since PW didn't put on any himself. I started seeing bubbles at one point and assumed that there was a bubble machine as there was for Mika's show at the MOD Club. But it was the fans blowing bubbles themselves. Then during the last song of his set they started launching streamers and some sort of confetti explosions that were a very small scale version of the confetti cannons at the end of Lollipop.

 

He really liked the streamers and launched some back into the audience. He also wore them like a boa during the encores.

 

I noticed he's playing in the UK up to November 30 and is announcing London dates soon. I hope that means he'll be there during my London trip but some dates that Mika is not playing. UK people should check him out if they can.

[JackViolet]

Ha, Mika would never wear that much makeup. PW was covered from head to toe! And it's not subtle I'm-trying-to-look-not-washed-out-on-camera makeup either. It's a look-at-me-I'm-all-glittery declaration.

 

Yeah, to be honest I don't think Mika's that androgynous or camp, or anything else that mags love to describe him as. I'm used to people like Patrick Wolf, who bathe in their makeup compartments.

 

Personality wise he comes across as incredibly sweet. The girls next to me said "awww....I luuuuv him" just about every time he spoke because he was so gentle, charming and seemed genuinely happy to be performing. If I didn't know better I'd say he wasn't even capable of making the twat comment about a colleague.

 

Well, he's shy, and shy tends to come across as sweet. He's also a bit of a drama queen, though, the way some introverted people can be. He can also be very cold, and impetuous.

 

Look at me talking as though I know him.

 

His first outfit was a bit over the top for me, but otherwise I wasn't getting "too weird" from him, especially where the music was concerned. If he put some relatively regular pants and a shirt on he'd be as mainstream as Mika.

 

Hahah, I love the idea that PW is a pair of pants away from mainstream success! So apparently nakedness doesn't always sell...

 

I agree about the Mika stuff, 'course.

 

But it was the fans blowing bubbles themselves. Then during the last song of his set they started launching streamers and some sort of confetti explosions that were a very small scale version of the confetti cannons at the end of Lollipop.

 

No, we didn't have that, but that sounds great. Maybe next time I go see him...

 

--Jack