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After a good run on The Magic Position which netted one fake live-retirement and one junkie-drummer ouster, Patrick Wolf has reemerged from his glam cocoon with two albums worth of material (featuring a Tilda Swinton guest spot), hair gone Lily Allen blonde, and a cute new mic headset. Apparently Patrick utilized this Rhythm Nation 1814 getup to dance and gesture, leaving his multi-instrumentalism to multi instrumentalists, now featuring an electric guitarist. Maybe that is instructive of his new material’s sound; various reports from his mini-tour concluding show at London’s Heaven last night include the words “darker,” “more aggressive,” and “power rock ballads” to describe the new material. Expect the first LP The Bachelor on 6/1, followed by The Conqueror next year, and eventually a double-disc repackage under the title Battle.

It’s all to be self-released on his new label Bloody Chamber Music under an It’s Up To You plan, as in it’s up to you to finance it at bandstocks. In addition to the new, the setlist touched on Lycanthropy, Wind In The Wires, Magic Position, and a tease of Joni Mitchell’s “All I Want” on dulcier, Wolf then instructing everyone to buy Blue immediately because of its lyrical genius. Patrick Wolf never lied. We’re expecting The Bachelor‘s lead single “Vulture” in the coming weeks. For now, relive last night via dramatic pics and setlist:

SETLIST (via The Musical Chairs)
01 “Oblivion”
02 “Tristan”
03 “Battle”
04 “London”
05 “Who Will”
06 “Damaris”
07 “Bluebells”
08 “Theseus”
09 “Count Of Casualty”
10 “Blackdown”
11 “Accident & Emergency”
12 “The Libertine”
13 “The Magic Position”
14 “Hard Times”
15 “Vulture”
16 “Bloodbeat”