Gifted Irish singer Cathy Davey celebrates the release of her new record ‘Tales of Silversleeve’ with not one, not two, but three shows in Limerick this October. The Dublin lass takes to the road this week on a month-long nationwide residency tour to coincide with the release of her second album, the follow-up to 2004’s ‘Something Ilk’.

Cathy Davey plays Dolan’s on October 10, 17 and 24 so there are no excuses for missing her. For further information or bookings contact Dolan’s Pub on 061-314483.

“Well the tour wasn’t my idea and I wasn’t even sure it would work playing three or four gigs in each city over four weeks. I just didn’t think with Ireland being so small that there would be that kind of audience out there. Some people have been saying ‘who does she think she is?’, I mean Damien Rice couldn’t fill some of the venues I’m playing for four nights. But it’s not about that at all, I just wanted to give people who might not be able to come to one show the chance to see me on this tour when it suited them best in an intimate setting,” Cathy explains.

“I am more comfortable with the live show now than I was when I toured the first album. I was very uncomfortable touring back then and I think the whole experience was uncomfortable for the audience too because I was so apologetic all the time. I’m definitely enjoying that side of things a lot more this time round. I have a full band on the road with me too, God I could never get up on stage on my own I would be way too frightened,” she confesses.

Reuben, Cathy’s first release in three years, is an upbeat, piano led strum-a-long that could only from the pen of this lady’s unique style. The track is our first taste of the treats in store on her second album ‘Tales of Silversleeve’ which was produced by Liam Howe of Sneaker Pimps, signalling a more electronic sound.

Cathy who appeared on Elbow’s ‘Grace Under Pressure’ mines a seam of hardcore love and hate, then turns them into stylistically broad songs which reference PJ  Harvey and Bjork as well as a young Kate Bush. A woman with a love of things abstract and atmospheric, she purposefully avoids soaking herself in too much music.

 “I have tried to distance myself from the first album but enough time hasn’t lapsed for me to be able to do that yet. I’m not terribly happy with the first record and the new one is definitely more cohesive. I recorded the first album in lots of different houses and I think that’s why I think it sounds so disjointed. I was also under the influence of the producers, eagerly so, because I didn’t really know where to fit in. I don’t think my voice was the strongest back then either and I’m just happier with the new record. On ‘Something Ilk’ there was some new songs and some old songs, but there is more of a theme to ‘Tales of Silversleeve’ as it’s all new stuff. This time round I played everything on the album myself and it feels more natural. I’m much happier with this record. I’m both happy and foaming at the mouth with anxiety,” Cathy tells me.