Cathy Davey Interview

(published in the current issue of DCU's Campus Magazine)

I’ve called Cathy Davey at a bad time. She’s in the middle of saying goodbye to her dad and simultaneously trying to coax her dog, Rex, back inside her house. I offer to call back but she insists she’ll be ready in a moment.

I’m struck by the cheery, relaxed tone of the voice on the other end of the line. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as Davey has much to be happy about these days. In just under twelve months, the silky-voiced songstress has released a critically acclaimed album that’s currently racing towards double platinum sales, picked up trophies at the Meteor Awards and Dublin Fringe Festival, been shortlisted for the prestigious Choice Music Prize and had her track ‘Moving’ used in a national advertising campaign for Vodafone.

Davey’s good fortunes may seem to have come about overnight but there were a number of obstacles to overcome along the way, not least the crippling stage-fright that plagued the Wicklow-born lass when promoting her debut album, ‘Something Ilk’, in 2004.

“I was petrified. I’d just completely freeze on stage and sometimes I’d even vomit before a show. I’d locked myself away for two years, writing and recording demos, but I’d never had to perform or to sell myself. At one point, I went to a hypnotist but it had no effect on me because I’m such a bad sleeper. I’m actually glad the hypnotism didn’t work though because I don’t think you can just bypass a problem like that.”

Davey believes that part of the problem was that she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the material she was performing. She felt that the demos she had toiled over in her bedroom had been tainted by studio gloss and, by her own admission, was ‘embarrassed’ by the material.

I ask if she ever considered giving up at any point, if she was tempted to pack in the music career and pursue something else. “Never. I always knew music was the one thing I could do best. I suffer from dyslexia and wasn’t particularly academic but writing music was something I could excel at.”

Davey was determined that her sophomore effort would not fall victim to the same fate as ‘Something Ilk’. “For ‘Tales of Silversleeve’ I did most of the recording on my own. I did a lot of the work in my dad’s house. This time, there were no other dominant characters, which was better because I think that can ruin creative things.”

It appears that this approach worked out well for Davey as she seems far less prone to the jitters nowadays and has established a reputation as one of Ireland’s foremost live performers. A number of fans were left disappointed at this year’s Electric Picnic when they couldn’t get into the packed-out tent where she was performing. “The Electric Picnic set was pretty wonderful. I’d played Oxegen last year and V Festival a few years ago but I’d never played to a packed-out tent like that.”

“I enjoyed the performance but I think I chose a bad running order so I was a little annoyed about that.” It's comments like this that hint at the singer's perfectionist tendencies but, if she continues to produce such fine music, it’s probably best just to leave Cathy Davey to nitpick away.