Welsh multi-instrumentalist The Anchoress has appeared on Elton John’s show, streamed and broadcasted on Apple Music.
The talented artist took to her Instagram to announce the news with a snippet from the show.
Within Sir John’s show, Rocket Hour, the songstress was interviewed regarding her new album entitled The Art of Losing released 12th March 2021. The new material sees the talented singer collaborate with friend and fellow musician James Dean Bradfield, best known as the frontman for legendary British rock band Manic Street Preachers. The band began their musical partnership with The Anchoress in July 2016, the singer provided support and also duetted with the band within the Eden Project, an education and socially focused botanical garden and venue located in Cornwall. The musical acts would again perform with each other the following year and again in October of the same year, they performed a duet of “Little Baby Nothing” at the Q Awards. She would then join the band on their 2018 album Resistance Is Futile, the album features a duet with the pair entitled “Dylan & Caitlin”. Band-member Nicky Wire has once stated that the intentions for the song were inspired by Sir John’s duet with Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”.
Born as Catherine Anne Davies, The Anchoress described how the pair initially collaborated on the track “The Exchange” whilst expressing her excitement to work with her musical hero. “We are good friends now, yeah. I mean, I grew up just completely idolising the band. So for me, it was a bit of a dream come true to duet on their record, their last album. And then, I thought, “Well, I’ll ask him if he’ll return the favour on mine,” which he dutifully did. I don’t know if it was under duress. But yeah, it was amazing to hear that song back, something that I’d written, and then hear our voices together, when I’d grown up singing along to Manic records since I was 12 years old. So it was just, yeah, mad, absolutely mad.”
The Art of Losing was released via indie record label Kscope, the label is focused on the alternative and progressive rock genres and have a roster full of great acts. The album was written and self-produced by Davies, the singer also talked to Sir John concerning the producing process. “I wrote and produced the entire thing myself in the studio here, that you can see. So I had that luxury of not having an A&R person over my shoulder saying, “Oh, we need a couple more tunes like this.” So it is completely an artistic indulgence. And how often do you get to do that anymore?”
The singer’s new album can be described as filmic, with lyrics full of personal subject matter describing emotions such as grief and anger resulting in a storytelling lyrical context. Davies discussed this musical quality with Sir John, “I mean, I was really lucky to get to do a kind of expanded three-CD edition. And it’s got these beautiful alternative images, very David Lynch inspired. It’s almost like there is a kind of filmic quality, I guess, to the album. And it takes the listener on a journey. I’m desperate to play, but equally, we’ve got to be careful about playing live. And it’s just unknown at the moment, isn’t it? I think we’re all in the same boat.”
Within the interview, Sir John discussed gender roles within the music industry and stated how female singers and performers were leading the way. The “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” singer stated “That Female Artists ‘Are Doing All The Good Work’…I can see the vision in the songs, a bit like Rina Sawayama. The female artists at the moment are doing all the good work. The boys are lagging really, really behind… It’s all about the females at the moment, as far as I’m concerned.” Listen to the episode here.
The Anchoress is set to hit the road this Autumn with performance dates starting on 9th September 2021, the singer will also join long term musical partners Manic Street on several dates.
09/09/2021 – Hull Central Library – Kingston Upon Hull
11/09 – Trades Club – Hebden Bridge
25/09 – Long Division Festival 2021 – Wakefield
26/09 – O2 City Hall (With Manic Street Preachers) – Newcastle
28/09 – Usher Hall (With Manic Street Preachers) – Edinburgh
29/09 – The Caird Hall Dundee (With Manic Street Preachers) – Dundee
01/10 – Victoria Hall (With Manic Street Preachers) – Stoke-on-trent
02/10 – O2 Apollo Manchester (With Manic Street Preachers) – Manchester
04/10 – York Barbican Centre (With Manic Street Preachers) – York
07/10 – O2 Academy Leeds (With Manic Street Preachers) – Leeds
08/10 – Guildhall Studio (With Manic Street Preachers) – Portsmouth
10/10 – O2 Academy Bournemouth (With Manic Street Preachers) – Bournemouth
11/10 – Cambridge Corn Exchange (With Manic Street Preachers) – Cambridge
13/10 – The Forum (With Manic Street Preachers) – Bath
14/10 – Brighton Done (With Manic Street Preachers) – Brighton
11/03/2022 – Boileroom – Guildford
12/03 – Gloucester Guildhall – Gloucester
13/03 – Trades Club – Hebden Bridge
14/03 – Hull Central Library – Kingston Upon Hull
01/05 – Queen Elizabeth Hall – London
