Can’t believe that Show Your Face has been added to the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist for the FOURTH yes that’s 4th week in a row!
So thankful for all the love on the airwaves that this first single has been getting. Watch out for the brand new single dropping in mid January.
Show Your Face has been named as one of The Mail on Sunday’s “20 Best Songs of 2020” alongside Billy Eilish, Paul McCartney, Dua Lipa and Laura Marling.
I spoke to NME about Robert Smith from The Cure’s secret influence on new track ‘Unravel’ and how the video was inspired by Mulholland Drive. https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-the-david-lynch-inspired-video-for-the-anchoress-emotive-new-track-unravel-2832338?fbclid=IwAR0ZYtPa8rf9VuKwznB7qEYjrtGiM81QeWKrrOtQPK92X1z9cZe0-rOZxTI
Well it's just raining good news today...
'Show Your Face' has been added to the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist. It's a pretty big deal having always picked up lots of spot plays from various shows to now have the support of the station and seal of approval for the second album. You'll be able to hear the track played every day from next Monday... It's a huge platform to have the music heard by a whole new audience and reach out to lots of potential new listeners.
What a mad day! Woke up to discover that The Art of Losing has reached #1 in the Amazon vinyl chart for their hot new releases and #6 in the overall Amazon vinyl chart (sandwiched between David Bowie and Kylie…)
Thank you SO much to everyone who is preordering the album. It may seem a little strange to encourage you to buy something that isn't released until March but all of the retail stores - Amazon, HMV, indie record shops, make decisions about how many copies to order and how much prominence to give a new album based upon preorder sales. So you can see it really DOES matter to how well the album does how much support it gets in the run-up to the actual release.
You can preorder your copy of the Amazon exclusive GOLD vinyl here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08MS5KK4D?pf_rd_r=SKVHAAYGY94NH68SC7SQ&pf_rd_p=7fd6a387-1657-41b5-98d0-70eb16f03c33&pd_rd_r=c1e91e44-1c65-40ad-bb70-ab2a63fc24d5&pd_rd_w=KXHth&pd_rd_wg=Ngvjl&ref_=pd_gw_unk
NME have premiered the powerful new video from The Anchoress directed by JJ Eringa alongside an interview where I talk about Trump, toxic masculinity, stepping into the producer's chair, and roping in the Manics for the second album:
https://www.nme.com/news/music/anchoress-powerful-video-new-single-show-your-face-2807346
‘The Art of Losing’, the second album from Welsh multi-instrumentalist The Anchoress (aka Catherine Anne Davies), will be released on March 5th 2021 (via Kscope). The first single ‘Show Your Face’ is available from today, following its radio premiere by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music; a Depeche Mode flavoured retort to toxic masculinity that features guitar from Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield (who also sings a duet on the album) and drums from Sterling Campbell (David Bowie, Duran Duran).
The new single weaves its dark synth magic following up on her sonically audacious debut, ‘Confessions of A Romance Novelist’, which was named amongst the Guardian critics’ Albums of the Year, nominated for the Welsh Music Prize, named HMV’s Welsh Album of the Year, and won Best Newcomer at the PROG awards.
Written and produced by Davies, ‘The Art of Losing’ navigates the detritus of death. It’s a record made in the process of trying to climb out of grief about how we make something from the losses in our lives. Written in the aftermath of several years of huge personal loss, the album follows Dylan Thomas’ instruction to “rage against the dying of the light” - and there is nothing “gentle” about its enquiry. Despite the traumatic backdrop to its composition, it is a far from dour affair. Rather, all fourteen tracks create a technicolour eruption of emotions, firmly concerned with how to find purpose in the midst of grief: “Was there some purpose to losing my mind?”, she asks on the album’s title track: “What did you learn when life was unkind..?”
The new album was written and recorded during an unfeasibly busy few years as Davies found solace and purpose in a range of projects whilst navigating her griefs. Most recently this came via the release of her collaborative album ‘In Memory of My Feelings’ with Bernard Butler (on Pete Paphides’ label Needle Mythology), duetting and touring with the Manic Street Preachers on their thirteenth album ‘Resistance Is Futile’ (which reached #2 in the UK charts), and being personally invited by The Cure’s Robert Smith to perform at his Meltdown Festival. She also brought a new generation of ears to legendary Scottish rock band Simple Minds, where she spent much of the last five years touring the world on keyboards, guitar and additional vocals. She joined the line-up in 2014, appearing on the Big Music (2015) and Walk Between Worlds (2018) albums before departing in 2019 after playing over 400 shows with the band.
‘The Art of Losing’, the second album from Welsh multi-instrumentalist The Anchoress (aka Catherine Anne Davies), will be released on March 12th 2021 (via Kscope) on CD, 2LP and deluxe hardback CD limited edition book.
Preorder your copy including limited edition signed bundles here: https://theanchoress.tmstor.es
Written and produced by Davies, ‘The Art of Losing’ navigates the detritus of death. It’s a record made in the process of trying to climb out of grief about how we make something from the losses in our lives. Written in the aftermath of several years of huge personal loss, the album follows Dylan Thomas’ instruction to “rage against the dying of the light” - and there is nothing “gentle” about its enquiry.
Despite the traumatic backdrop to its composition, it is a far from dour affair. Rather, all fourteen tracks create a technicolour eruption of emotions, firmly concerned with how to find purpose in the midst of grief: “Was there some purpose to losing my mind?”, she asks on the album’s title track: “What did you learn when life was unkind..?”
Preorder here now: https://theanchoress.tmstor.es
The collaborative album with Bernard Butler is currently at #14 in the official albums chart and we are also one of the records of the week in The Sunday Times today! It’s just overwhelming to see all the positive reactions to our ten songs after they have sat on the shelf for so long ❤️🙏🏻
#InMemoryOfMyFeelings is out now on CD, LP & download. Get your copy from all good record shops.
Grab it here: https://orcd.co/in_memory_of_my_feelings
IN MEMORY OF MY FEELINGS
CATHERINE ANNE DAVIES & BERNARD BUTLER
Hi everyone, I know you're all been patiently waiting for album 2 from The Anchoress but while the pandemic put paid to all our plans, I have a little surprise in the meantime....
Needle Mythology, the label founded by music writer, author and broadcaster Pete Paphides, will be releasing "In Memory Of My Feelings" on September 18th - a new collaborative record between myself and Bernard Butler that's been quietly waiting in the wings for a while now.
Featuring ten brand new songs co-written by us both (and two bonus tracks), you can hear the first track "The Breakdown" TODAY on all digital platforms, watch the video, and pre-order your physical copy here: https://orcd.co/in_memory_of_my_feelings
It's really been such a thrill to finally be able to usher this into the wider world. Hopefully it will keep your ears busy until the rescheduled release of Anchoress 2. I’d got used to the idea that this record with Bernard might never emerge. Occasionally, I’d listen to it on my headphones if I was on the bus, and Bernard always had the same thought, “I wish I could go to a record shop and buy this”... And now you can!
AVAILABLE ON CD, HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL PLUS BONUS 7"
Pre-order here: https://orcd.co/in_memory_of_my_feelings
Catherine x
All four of the Quarantine Covers I’ve been recording during lockdown have now been collected together as one EP - Reprise 2: The Covers Collection, featuring reinterpretations of songs by FKA Twigs, The Beatles, Manic Street Preachers and All About Eve.
Download or stream now only on Bandcamp: https://iamtheanchoress.bandcamp.com/album/reprise-2-the-covers-collection
Missing going to gigs? Let the live show come to your living room and download the brand new mini album by The Anchoress: "Live at The London Palladium" available exclusively on Bandcamp now.
Featuring live tracks recorded at the legendary London venue (and one of the loveliest introductions ever by Jim Kerr), the album captures just one of the memorable shows on the acoustic tour.
There's two brand new episodes of The Art Of Losing podcast for you to enjoy this long weekend.
My guests this time are David Bowie producer Mario McNulty chatting about the psychology and ethics of working on "lost albums" and Welsh playwright and poet Patrick Jones, elder brother to Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers in conversation about the consolations of poetry, the journey of grieving, and the very primal wound that losing a parent leaves. Available now on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🎧
The Art of Losing podcast takes on the topic of loss in all of its literal and metaphorical forms: lost albums, lost marriages, baby loss, lost possessions, and the death of loved ones, asking the question: is the art of losing ever something we can truly master?
Subscribe & listen here in Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-losing-podcast/id1482419612
Excited to announce my biggest headline show to date at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London on July 8th. Having started my music career as an artist in residence at the Southbank Centre, it’s a very special place for me to be returning. Members tickets on sale at Weds 11 March 10am GMT. General sale opens Thurs 12 March 10am. Expect some very special guests...
All glammed up at the Q Awards last night. Thanks to everyone who looked after me! #QAwards2019
I was interviewed for this month’s MusicTech magazine about the songwriting process.
Get the songwriting special in all newsagents later this month!
CARDIFF CASTLE
It's been a busy few Welsh-based weeks as I headed down to Cardiff to play with the Manic Street Preachers for their special home-town show at Cardiff Castleto nearly 30,000 people. I had a fantastic time duetting with the band on 'Little Baby Nothing' and 'Your Love Alone' and can't wait to come back again very soon! Thanks to everyone who's given me such a warm welcome into the MSP family.
I did a little interview with Aston Microphones talking about my favourite pieces of studio gear 🎤🎛https://www.astonmics.com/EN/artist-details/Catherine-Anne-Davies
I spoke to the wonderful Sharon Van Etten for The Line of Best Fit about motherhood, transformations and the power of therapy. Read the interview in full here: https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/longread/sharon-van-etten-life-transformed-conversation-interview
The Anchoress spoke to the BBC about why concept albums will be making a big return this year…
Read the article in full here:
Catherine recorded a special show for BBC 6 Music this month alongside host Martin Freeman, actor John Simm, and writer John Harris to celebrate 50 years of The Beatles’ White Album.
The radio show was broadcast on National Albums Day and included 3 hours of chat, opinion, and factoids about The Beatles ‘White Album’.
You can listen back to outtakes from the show here with Catherine discussing the musicology behind Glass Onion and While My Guitar Gently Weeps: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p06nrzjx
Listen back to the 3 hour show in full here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0000q41