Album Review: Live At Dublin Unitarian Church, CATHY DAVEY

The Unitarian Church is an apt venue for Cathy Davey’s new live offering: the music, it turns out, is nothing short of heavenly. Keeping onstage patter to a minimum and featuring some (fairly) stripped back renditions of old favourites, as well as two new tunes, the album, recorded in March, serves as both an excellent introduction to the back catalogue of one of Ireland’s finest artists, and an enchanting document of Davey in her element. In some ways a triumph over adversity (guitarist Derren Dempsey performed with what he later found out was a broken wrist, while Davey was battling a throat infection), dreamy ‘50s torch song ‘Chrysacoma’ is a real standout. The superb ‘Snitch’ is reminiscent of Fun Boy Three and Bananarama’s ‘Ain’t What You Do’. Davey’s throat problem adds a welcome raspy-ness to the punchy ‘Moving’, while new track ‘Uninsurable’ is a playful and powerful slab of alt-pop, with a little Le Tigre in its DNA. Cathy Davey is the real thing. OUT NOW

Rating: 8/10