Patrick Clarke
Patrick Clarke is a journalist, writer, editor and DJ based in London. He began his career running his own amateur music website and working for local publications in Liverpool in the early 2010s, dedicating his coverage to the city's burgeoning experimental music scene.
After relocating to London in 2015 to train as a journalist at City University, he joined The Quietus as an intern, later becoming a staff writer and eventually the site's temporary acting editor in 2022. He now remains at the site in the role of deputy editor. In 2018, he also began a role on the news desk at NME that lasted until 2022.
He is now a regular contributor to NME's features section, has written a number of cover features for DIY Magazine and is an occasional writer for The Guardian. His previous freelance bylines have also included pieces for specialist titles such as MARVIN, No Depression, the French publication Technikart, Gigwise, The Line Of Best Fit, Stylist and more. He has also written artist biographies for labels such as 4AD, Heavenly, Rough Trade and PIAS, and appears regularly as a live DJ.
His first book, about the band Soft Cell and the wider culture that informed them, is to be published in 2024 via the Manchester University Press.
31 articles
List of articles in the library
Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 7 February 2017
In the wake of a blistering debut LP and a trio of incendiary live shows, Patrick Clarke speaks to Newcastle's Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs ...
Ray Davies: Amended Legacy: The Kinks' Ray Davies Interviewed
Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 11 April 2017
As Ray Davies prepares for the launch of the next phase of his colossal Americana project, Patrick Clarke speaks to the Kinks frontman on America, ...
Review by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 8 June 2017
In The Guillotine Hey Colossus have hit a new peak just when it felt like there was no higher for them to climb. Patrick Clarke ...
The Stone Roses: Wembley Stadium, London
Live Review by Patrick Clarke, Metro, 13 June 2017
Roses prove to be perennial favourites with greatest hits ...
Sean Lennon: Darkness And Relief: Sean Lennon's 13 Favourite Albums
Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 19 July 2017
From Herbie Hancock's darkest depths to Brian Eno's anxiety-relieving light, Sean Lennon guides Patrick Clarke through thirteen records that changed his life. ...
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: O2 Arena, London
Live Review by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 3 October 2017
As the cult of Nick Cave gets bigger and bigger, so his material gets sparser and more intimate. Can Skeleton Tree really work in an ...
Manic Street Preachers: Melancholy Optimism: Manic Street Preachers
Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 19 February 2018
The Manic Street Preachers thought they might never make another album again, then along came Resistance Is Futile. Patrick Clarke meets Nicky Wire to discuss ...
Retrospective and Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 10 April 2018
Through a series of interviews, Patrick Clarke charts the history of Liverpool's brilliant, bitter and burgeoning music scene of 1976-1988, from Eric's and Probe to ...
No, Streaming Services Are Not "Saving The Music Industry"
Comment by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 26 April 2018
Recent reports that streaming is now the "biggest money-maker" for the music biz have prompted hyperbolic claims that Spotify and co. have "saved the music ...
Sky Ferreira hits out at label after being "forced" out of her own Soundcloud
Report by Patrick Clarke, New Musical Express, 28 July 2018
SKY FERREIRA HAS posted a lengthy attack on her own record label, saying she has been "forced/told I had no choice" to hand over her ...
Kanye West: Inside the mind of Kanye West: Searching for... Kanye (BBC Three)
Preview by Patrick Clarke, bbc.co.uk, 14 December 2018
The rapper has hit the headlines almost as much for his mental health as his music this year, but what's really going on? ...
Michael Rother: "I Enjoy Silence!": Michael Rother's 13 Favourite Albums
Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 27 February 2019
With a show at London's Under The Bridge on 5 April, Michael Rother of Neu!, Harmonia, and a newly-boxsetted solo career takes Patrick Clarke through ...
Fat White Family: Too Much Love: An Interview With Fat White Family
Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 9 April 2019
Ahead of the release of third album Serfs Up!, Patrick Clarke meets Alex White and brothers Lias and Nathan Saoudi of Fat White Family. ...
These New Puritans: Barbican, London
Live Review by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 24 February 2020
These New Puritans' special Barbican performance The Blue Door delivers beauty, brutality and everything in-between. ...
Report by Patrick Clarke, New Musical Express, 1 May 2020
Yeasayer are taking legal action against the stars ...
Toots & The Maytals: Toots And The Maytals: Got To Be Tough
Review by Patrick Clarke, New Musical Express, 25 August 2020
The influential band's first album in more than a decade is rarely subtle, but Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert remains an inspirational force for change ...
Sufjan Stevens: "I Wish There Could Be A Revolution": Sufjan Stevens Interviewed
Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 21 September 2020
On his new album The Ascension, Sufjan Stevens has abandoned his trademark intricacy and found the power in platitudes. He speaks to Patrick Clarke about ...
Bad Bunny to compete at WWE's WrestleMania
Report by Patrick Clarke, New Musical Express, 23 March 2021
A feud between the rapper and former WWE champion The Miz has been building for weeks ...
Raye: Polydor records respond after RAYE says she hasn't "been allowed" to release her debut album
Report by Patrick Clarke, New Musical Express, 30 June 2021
RAYE has expressed her frustration that she's yet to release her debut album, despite having been signed on a major label deal with Polydor for ...
Soft Cell: Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret: An Oral History Of Soft Cell's Debut Album
Retrospective and Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 26 November 2021
As Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret turns 40, Patrick Clarke speaks to Marc Almond, Dave Ball, and a number of the other key players who crafted Soft ...
Press Release by Patrick Clarke, Rough Trade Records, 1 January 2022
A VERSION of 'Dark blue', caroline's sublime first single that also opens their self-titled debut album, was written on the day Casper Hughes, Jasper Llewellyn ...
Interview by Patrick Clarke, Marvin, 6 January 2022
Hailing from Dublin, the indie rockers of Fontaines D.C. stay true to their roots during rapid growth. ...
Central Cee shares atmospheric video for new track 'Cold Shoulder'
Report by Patrick Clarke, Rolling Stone, 28 January 2022
It's the third taste of his forthcoming mixtape 23 ...
"My aim was Oyé, not Glastonbury": Liverpool's beloved African music festival turns 30
Retrospective and Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Guardian, 14 March 2022
Africa Oyé attracts the world's biggest African artists, inspires local Black musicians and remains free to all. So what next for the community-minded festival that ...
Consequence, Kanye West: Consequence shares new Kanye West-produced single 'Blood Stain'
Report by Patrick Clarke, New Musical Express, 10 June 2022
Consequence calls it "beat of the year" ...
Kendrick Lamar: Glastonbury Festival
Live Review by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 28 June 2022
Kendrick Lamar might not be our saviour, but his headline slot at Glastonbury 2022 is a staggering demonstration of how an embrace of complexity and ...
The Prodigy: Mountford Hall, Liverpool
Live Review by Patrick Clarke, The Guardian, 15 July 2022
The late vocalist is etched in lasers for a comeback show that proves the fiery veterans are still a source of euphoria ...
Interview by Patrick Clarke, Loud and Quiet, 28 July 2022
Meet the London group reclaiming the radicalism of traditional folk. ...
Interview by Patrick Clarke, New Musical Express, 9 August 2022
It's long been mooted that the fêted producer and The Roots' lead MC had a stellar collaboration in them. Now Cheat Codes is finally here ...
Young Fathers: Heavy Is The Heart: Young Fathers
Interview by Patrick Clarke, DIY, 7 November 2022
Young Fathers stand as one of the most creative, boundaryless bands of their generation. Now, with fourth LP Heavy Heavy, they're channelling it into a ...
Lankum: The Sea, The Sea: An Interview With Lankum
Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 8 February 2023
In their first interview about their fourth album False Lankum, Ian and Daragh Lynch, Radie Peat and Cormac Mac Diarmada speak to Patrick Clarke about ...
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