The Doctor Makes His Rounds

At a time when individuality and any kind of artistic vision are in short supply, its all the more important to cherish those who dare to follow their own idiosyncratic path.
So it is with Dr Millar, who began his career with 80s Dublin cult act The Cute Hoors. Since they broke up, he has released two acclaimed solo records, The Bitter Lie and The Deal. Both showcase Millar s ability to marry quirky, articulate lyrics with memorable tunes.
But with more than 12 months having passed since the release of The Deal, what has the Doc been up to in the interim?
It s been a really hectic year for me, he begins. In January I was over at the Midem showcase in Cannes. I played a songwriters in the round type of thing with Ron Sexsmith and David Poe. That was great, and they were really nice guys as well.
In March I was over in Denmark for a series of gigs, and those went great. At the moment we re working towards a deal with a major distributor who would release the record throughout the whole of Scandinavia.
I also played at the Kerval Folk Festival in Texas. It s like an equivalent to Glastonbury, and they decided to put on an Irish showcase with me, Nick Kelly and Juliet Turner. That went down a bomb, which was particularly gratifying because we played on the twelfth day of the event. If people have been listening to folk music for twelve days, and you still get a good reaction . . .well, he trails off, chortling.
I also did a support for John Cale, but aside from that, I ve done about one solo gig in the past 18 months.
Which brings us to the matter at hand. Dr Millar s upcoming date in Dublin s Vicar St is his only solo Irish gig this year. How does the solo experience vary from playing with a band?
Recently, I ve been playing with a 5-piece band, Millar replies. We ve been trying to get a cross between the 60s and 70s American music that I love, the likes of The Velvet Underground and Patti Smith and . . . folk music, basically.
I just fancied doing a solo gig now. It s a very different thing. When I was with The Cute Hoors, for example, I was totally into the idea of performance and that real punk, rock n roll energy. The solo thing is much more meditative. . . I sing much better solo as well, he concludes, laughing.
With a new album set to be recorded and released next year, the Vicar St show will be the last opportunity to see the Doctor for a while. It s time for a dose of that roots n roll medicine.
Dr Millar plays Vicar St, Dublin, Oct 15th. Doors 9pm, tickets #8, support act: Terry Sutton