New video directed by Annick Wolfers

The brand new video for the next single, Doesn't Kill You (above), was premiered last week on Gigwise. Charlie Gilmour (son of David Gilmour) stars as my androgynous alter ego in this Bowie-inspired short film, which was styled by costume designer Natasha Lawes. Directed by Annick Wolfers (who has previously worked with Vivienne Westwood and Vogue Italia), it narrates what I have described as a “metaphorical battle between the super-ego and the id” but in reality was more about me not pushing Charlie around too hard as he's a mixed martial arts expert..

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.

Watch the video here now.

The Anchoress to support Manic Street Preachers

I'm thrilled to announce that I will be supporting the Manic Street Preachers on July 9th at the Eden Project in Cornwall. It's such a huge honour to be asked by Mr. Nicky Wire who was something of a surrogate teacher for me growing up. The Manics are a band that completely changed and shaped my life, turning me into a book-bothering library fiend who was the first in my family to go to university... All because of a rock and roll band. I feel I can safely retire now knowing that my 12 year old self would feel satisfied with how things turned out! Hope to see some of you there.

The Anchoress featured by MOJO for #RSD16

‘Popular’ is one of MOJO’s must-have picks for Record Store Day UK: “A highlight of the Welsh singer-songwriter’s debut album… taps directly and defiantly into the emotional scrutiny that teenagers – particularly girls…

‘Popular’ is one of MOJO’s must-have picks for Record Store Day UK:
“A highlight of the Welsh singer-songwriter’s debut album… taps directly and defiantly into the emotional scrutiny that teenagers – particularly girls – subject themselves and each another to. Comes with a string quartet version of What Goes Around on the flip. With her prog flourishes and red velvet voice was ever an artist better served by a plush collectible vinyl 7-inch?”
http://www.mojo4music.com/23617/record-store-day-2016-mojos-15-must-have-picks/

Record Store Day 7inch Confirmed

★★★★  MOJO“…Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love… updated for the 21st century.” PROG“Fascinating.” THE SUNDAY TIMES“Compelling.” THE OBSERVERTHE ANCHORESS to release limited edition 7” for Record Store DayOn …

★★★★  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

The Anchoress in The Sunday Times

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 m…

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

The Firsties and Faves of Rising English Singer The Anchoress | NOISEY

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

Head over to Clash Magazine who are premiering the brand new track “Doesn’t Kill You” today. “The song is about taking the chaos you find yourself in and channelling it into something more positive. “You have to suffer&helli…

Head over to Clash Magazine who are premiering the brand new track “Doesn’t Kill You” today. “The song is about taking the chaos you find yourself in and channelling it into something more positive. “You have to suffer…” The piano crash at the end was brought to you by a combination of red wine, codeine, and being forced to play through the pain of (what I didn’t know at the time was) a detached ligament in my hand when it had all gone a bit Bobby Fischer…“

http://www.clashmusic.com/news/track-of-the-day-1812-the-anchoress