SINGLE REVIEW: Patrick Wilde – Will You Be There
Patrick Wilde’s story begins in defiance of the odds — born with brain damage and given an hour to live, he instead turned those hours into years and those years into art. That sense of survival, of refusing to be defined by anyone else’s script, pulses through every second of ‘Will You Be There’.
It’s a track that moves with a sauntering beat and laid-back vibrancy, but the message beneath is far sharper: a challenge aimed at the people and corporations who show up when it’s easy, and disappear when the fight gets real. Driven by spiky guitars and bouncing drums, the track has an instantly hooky quality.
Wilde’s vocals arrive with snarling grit and a theatrical, semi-spoken cadence — rugged, slightly off-kilter, and all the more compelling because of it. There’s a sneer in his delivery, but also a clarity of purpose; he’s not just airing frustration, he’s calling out the hollow promises and fair-weather support within the LGBTQ+ community that plague modern activism, support when the cameras are rolling but nowhere to be seen when theres real turbulance. It’s opinionated art-punk with real teeth.
Musically, the track oscillates between punch and provocation. The futuristic electronic flourishes add a surprising depth, sharpening the edges of the message and giving the sound a modern, restless bite. When the tempo dips momentarily, it doesn’t weaken the momentum — it adds intrigue, a breath before Wilde barrels back in with renewed force.
By the time the final refrain lands, the track has cemented itself as bold, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore. ‘Will You Be There’ is a razor-sharp statement from an artist who refuses to soften his corners. Fierce, charismatic, and creatively fearless, Wilde tears into performative allyship not with self-serious heaviness, but with swagger, wit, and absolute conviction. A standout example of political punk that actually means something — and doesn’t care who it unsettles.
