Watch my BBC performance of the David Bowie classic 'Andy Warhol' with Simple Minds which I performed as part of the BBC special last week. Thanks so much to Jim and Charlie for inviting me to be part of their special night. You can watch the whole performance here.
★★★★ MOJO
“…Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love… updated for the 21st century.” PROG
“Fascinating.” THE SUNDAY TIMES
“Compelling.” THE OBSERVER
THE ANCHORESS to release limited edition 7” for Record Store Day
On April 16th 2016, The Anchoress will release a special limited edition 7” to mark the 9th annual Record Store Day.
Following the critically-acclaimed release of her debut album, Confessions of a Romance Novelist, The Anchoress (aka Catherine AD) offers up a special limited 7 inch vinyl release for Record Store Day via Kscope, featuring the angular prog-pop ‘Popular’ (which reached no.2 in the Hype Machine) backed with a special previously unreleased string quartet version of the XFM playlisted and Steve Lamacq championed single ‘What Goes Around’. There will be just 1000 copies of this release on black vinyl.
On Facebook, Catherine said: “I am very proud to be a small part of supporting the lifeblood of our music stores and independent labels.”
The Anchoress was lauded earlier this year by the broadsheet press for her “compelling” (The Observer) and “fascinating” (Sunday Times) debut album, which she co-produced with Mansun’s Paul Draper, gracing the cover of the Guardian reviews section, as well as receiving coverage online from The Quietus, Drowned in Sound, The Line of Best Fit, Q, Gigwise, NPR and more. Garnering comparisons to John Grant, Lana Del Rey and Kate Bush, Catherine’s previous singles have received heavy rotation of BBC 6Music and Radio X, as well as recently recording a special BBC Maida Vale session.
Catherine spent much of 2015 touring the arenas of Europe and the UK playing with Simple Minds to over 500,000 people, plus millions of Americans when she performed at the Billboard Awards in Las Vegas. She will shortly announce her first live dates as The Anchoress, which has been a studio project up to now, as well as some special festival appearances.
Here’s what the press have been saying about The Anchoress’ debut album, which you can stream online now: http://smarturl.it/COARN_STREAM
“…a flawless and sophisticated hyper-literate pop record.” GQ
“…hyper-literary but radio-friendly. Could sneak big ideas past the listeners of daytime radio.” Q
“…Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love… updated for the 21st century.” PROG
“…lit-infused, atmospheric pop record (with just the right amount of percentage of rock angles)… think Shirley Manson meets Stefani meets Tori.” NOISEY
“…literate and emotive. Karen Carpenter singing John Grant.” UNCUT
★★★★ MOJO
“…addresses the peaks and troughs of love, commitment and betrayal…Fascinating.” SUNDAY TIMES
“…a rich and complex debut…a blackly witty breakup album…Compelling.” THE OBSERVER
“…insightful, intelligent songwriting on this hugely entertaining album . 9/10.” THE LINE OF BEST FIT
“…delightfully theatrical and sharp as a bloody blade. Wales’ much more explicitly feminist answer to Lana Del Rey.” NPR
“…literate, ambitious and engrossing .” CLASH
“…equal parts prog and pop, oddball & accessible.” NME
“…a dark, intricate and intelligent debut… an album of distinctive sound and ambitious ideals.”
LOUDER THAN WAR
“…as comfortable at CBGB’s as in Broadway theatres.” LES INROCKUPTIBLES
“It is hard to believe there will be many more interesting, or better, debut albums in 2016.” MUSIC OMH
Lovely review of the album from the hard-to-please Dan Cairns in today’s
Sunday Times. It’s in part thanks to this writer that I started
making music at all after he raved about Jennifer Terran’s album The
Musician, which made me decide that I should teach myself to play the
piano. Album is out on Friday. X
To mark today’s album release, I spoke to Noisey about punching school bullies, hot chocolate that’s better than crack, fancying Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre, and what’s actually better than sex..
http://noisey.vice.com/blog/firsties-and-faves-singer-the-anchoress
After its premiere today on Digital Spy, you can now watch the brand new video for ‘You and Only You’ on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/FRMHzPXvZls
Keep your eyes peeled later this week for the Philip Reach version of the track and its special dance video…
Myself and Paul Draper have gone full-on gear porn for Drowned in Sound, talking about how ‘You & Only You’ was put together. If you’ve ever wondered what really happens in the studio, read this: http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4149583-planet-gear–the-anchoress-and-mansuns-paul-draper
I also spoke to the lovely people at Gigwise about my favourite Manics songs and their influence on my own music: http://www.gigwise.com/features/104129/anchoress-picks-her-best-manic-street-preachers-songs
In case you missed any of it, here’s a roundup of some of the online coverage so far for my new sngle, which features guest vocals from Paul Draper. The song has also been picking up lots of radio play from 6Music, Radio X and Amazing Radio, with Radio X premiering the Cenzo Townshend alternative string mix as their ‘Shock of the New’ last week, Q magazine premiere and Steve Lamacq bagging the first radio play and then hammering it all week on 6Music!
Q MAGAZINE PREMIER - http://www.qthemusic.com/12934/premiere-the-anchoress-you-and-only-you-ft-paul-draper/
CLASH - http://www.clashmusic.com/features/their-library-the-anchoress
GIGWISE - http://www.gigwise.com/features/104129/anchoress-picks-her-best-manic-street-preachers-songs
DROWNED IN SOUND - http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4149583-planet-gear–the-anchoress-amp-mansuns-paul-draper
XS NOIZE INTERVIEW - http://www.xsnoize.com/a-conversation-with-the-anchoress-paul-draper/
LOUDER THAN WAR INTERVIEW PT 1 - http://louderthanwar.com/interview-the-anchoress-and-paul-draper-mansun/
TLOBF - http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/the-anchoress-reveals-paul-draper-collaboration-you-and-only-you
BEAT MAGAZINE - http://www.thebeatjuice.com/trax/2015/11/26/13939/the-anchoress-shares-music-for-misfits-playlist/
VON PIP TRACK OF THE DAY: http://www.thevpme.com/2015/11/18/track-of-the-day-the-anchoress-ft-paul-draper-you-and-only-you/
AMASS (JAPAN) http://amass.jp/65045/
GIGSLUTZ TRACK OF THE DAY - http://www.gigslutz.co.uk/this-feeling-track-of-the-day-15-11-15-the-anchoress-feat-paul-draper-you-and-only-you/
STEREO ON BOARD - http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/194875/9
Huge thanks to Steve Lamacq for premiering the new single today on BBC 6Music, which features guest vocals from Paul Draper.
The 5 track digital EP is out Jan 8th, just one week before the album release. Preorder info coming tomorrow X
The Quietus and The Line Of Best Fit announce the release of the album via Kscope with The Quietus premiering the first taster track, ‘Popular’.
The track is available now when you preorder Confessions Of A Romance Novelist from iTunes.
I
joined a choir of Patti Smith, Devendra Banhart and Peaches in today’s
Guardian Film & Music to sing the praises of Ginsberg’s Howl…
You can read the piece online here: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/08/how-allen-ginsbergs-howl-transformed-pop
Had a little chat with Eddy Temple Morris on Friday night and played a little sneak preview of something new… I’m up two songs into the show. Listen back here- https://www.mixcloud.com/sohoradio/the-remix-with-eddy-temple-morris/
Great review in this month’s Mojo of the Hannover show on the Big Music 2015 European tour…
Wow! What a start to the year! The mighty American institution that is NPR includes me in their 2015 picks. “As sharp as a bloody blade…” and the video has had over 10k plays in the first 24 hours!
I’ve been such a huge admirer of Ann Powers writing for a long time so it’s a honour to be included in her list for 2015.
Read the full article here.
Thanks to Fred Perry for including me in their Ones To Watch for 2015!
“A self-described ‘revenge-pop’ artist, Catherine Anne Davies, AKA The Anchoress, makes animated pop music with a sinister, obsessive edge. Heading on a major EU tour with Simple Minds, she will be dropping her debut album in June 2015.”
Magical few days in the studio with Bernard Butler. Album 2 may be ready before Album 1 at this rate…!
Les Inrocks
Great review of Long Year from the amazing Les Inrocks. How’s your French…? ; )
“Behind this barbaric sound sensual and group name trompe-l'oeil hides one Catherine Anne Davies. One imagines indeed Welsh savage, dark thoughts and nervous gestures, suspicious and tense like a young PJ Harvey when she greeted the press with a fork in her hand in the Dorset countryside. But the miracle here is the mixture of bitterness and luxuriance - rubber boots and satin shoes - which made the unprecedented magnitude of these songs as comfortable at CBGB’s as in Broadway theatres. Gothic and flamboyant then.”
‘One For Sorrow’ is today’s featured video over on RORMIX…
The One For Sorrow EP is out November 3rd on 12" vinyl, limited CD and digital EP.
VINYL
The beautiful 12" vinyl EP designed by Michael Speed.
Available from all good record stores, including the following online stores:
CD
This special collector’s edition ribbon-wrapped bundle includes a limited 4-track CD of the One For Sorrow EP, alongside a personalized hand stamped library card from The Anchoress, and a hand-picked vintage romance novel (as used in the “book-bath” which featured in the EP artwork and promo photo shoot).
Buy the ltd edition signed CD here.
DIGITAL
The EP is also available from iTunes, Amazon, and all other digital stores, including an iTunes bonus track remix by Ghosting Season.
The One For Sorrow EP by The Anchoress is out November 3rd 2014
This week has been a surreal one…
On Monday, Simple Minds revealed a secret that I’ve been keeping very close to my chest for a few months now…I’ll be joining them on tour throughout 2015! How this all came about is something of a distant echo of the duet I co-wrote for The Dark Flowers album a few year’s back which also featured Jim Kerr… You never know where things might lead! I’m looking forward to seeing some bookshops and art galleries around Europe. Pitstop suggestions welcome…
Yesterday I also found out that “One For Sorrow” (from the forthcoming EP) is up for the BBC 6Music Rebel Playlist. This is voted for by YOU, the music-loving public. If you could spare a moment between now and midnight this Sunday evening (and maybe ask your friends, ex-lovers and your sister’s dogs to vote too…) if we win the vote it means that the song gets played on all the 6Music daytime shows for a whole week! It takes five seconds to vote here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0072lb2
I’d be very grateful indeed if you did : )
If you haven’t already pre-ordered the EP, all the details are here: www.iamtheanchoress.com/music. There’s still a few limited editions remaining.
Catherine xox
p.s. Here’s the new Simple Minds video: