CATHERINE ANNE DAVIES - PRODUCTION & CO-WRITING
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PRODUCTION
From her early roots as a classically-trained flautist, to her current obsession with vintage synthesizers, multi-instrumentalist Catherine Anne Davies has spent the last seven years developing her skills to become one of the most interesting up-and-coming songwriters and producers in the UK, culminating in being nominated for the prestigious Music Producers Guild Awards in both 2022 and 2023.
Her Welsh Music Prize nominated self-produced second album as The Anchoress, The Art of Losing was both critically-lauded and achieved a Top 10 position in the UK physical album charts, as well as the #1 spot on iTunes. Album of the Year plaudits came from the Sunday Times, Record Collector, Line of Best Fit, Mail on Sunday, The Sun, and Prog Magazine.
Catherine’s recent production projects include the lead radio single for Dot Allison’s remix project, producing and mixing on the forthcoming Hen Hoose collective volume 2 compilation, co-producing her BBC 6 Music supported collaboration with Band Spectra.
She has also built a growing reputation as a go-to remixer for alternative artists such Bishi, Thea Gilmore, and Roxanne DeBastion, and
Other recent projects also include co-production for Band Spectra, and a 5 track co-writing, engineering, and production contribution to the Top 20 UK album ‘Spooky Action’ by Paul Draper.
Her self-produced debut album as The Anchoress, Confessions of A Romance Novelist (2016) was named amongst the Guardian critics’ Albums of the Year, won HMV’s Welsh Album of the Year, Best Newcomer at the PROG awards, and a nomination for the Welsh Music Prize.
In Memory of My Feelings, her collaborative album with Bernard Butler (Duffy, Suede) - including 10 original co-written tracks - was released in October 2020 via Needle Mythology.
Catherine currently lectures one day a week on the MA programme at ICMP in London and co-leads the ‘Culture of Belonging’ studio workshops for women and gender minorities - a joint project between Miloco Studios and The F-List.
She is currently producing and writing for the Creative Scotland funded project Hen Hoose - an all-female songwriting collective and sync project, including a collaboration with 3 time BBC Folk Award winner Karine Polwart.
CO-WRITING
Catherine has co-written with and worked alongside a variety of prominent industry names including Ed Harcourt (Paloma Faith & James Bay), Liam Howe (Jessie Ware, Marina) and Paul Statham (Kylie, Dido). She has also co-written with artists outside of the alternative rock genre, including MOBO-nominated singer-songwriter/cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson and British rapper Riz MC.
Alongside writing and producing, over the past few years Catherine also brought a new generation of ears to legendary Scottish rock band Simple Minds. She joined the line-up in 2014, bringing a fresh sound and look to the legendary Scottish band, appearing on the Big Music (2015) and Walk Between Worlds(2019) albums as well as touring on keyboards, guitar, and additional vocals.
As a member of the Dark Flowers supergroup (alongside Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), Pete Murphy (Bauhaus), Kate Havenevik, Gabrielle Cilmi, and Shelley Poole (Alisha’s Attic), Catherine co-wrote 6 tracks and appears as a featured artist on both of the collective’s albums.
While completing her PhD, Catherine was appointed ‘Emerging Artist in Residence’ at the Southbank Centre in London. During this 18 month-long tenure she collaborated on a new song cycle with Nitin Sawhney, as well as working with the London Philharmonic on new collaborative work.
LIVE SESSION WORK
Live work includes TV performances on Strictly Come Dancing and the Billboard Awards with Simple Minds, Glastonbury and End of the Road festival with Ed Harcourt, and numerous festival shows with Manic Street Preachers, Radio 1 live sessions with Riz MC, and a full length live Radio 2 show with Simple Minds. In 2018 she appeared on two tracks and duetted on "Dylan & Caitlin' from the No.2 album by the Manic Street Preachers “Resistance is Futile”. She was also MD and played keyboards for the 2017 UK Paul Draper tour.
Catherine is currently a Senator for the Ivors Academy. She is also an ambassador for the FAC (Featured Artists Coalition) and Music Venues Trust, as well as previosuly sitting on the UK Music Diversity Committee for the Music Producer’s Guild.