Catherine Elms- So Far From Whole

Article first published in the Llanelli Rock Scene Column in The Llanelli Herald & The Carmarthenshire Herald on 26th February 2016

‘So Far From Whole’ is the first studio, four-track EP in six years from Catherine Elms; an unsigned singer/songwriter from South West Wales. The EP was self-funded, using Kickstarter and in reaching out to her fan base. As a thank you to those people who backed her, Catherine played a private gig the week before ‘So Far From Whole’ was officially released.

I have not yet seen Catherine play live but from my initial listen to ‘So Far From Whole’, it struck me that Catherine’s musical style and approach has been influenced by the likes of PJ Harvey, Kate Bush and Nick Cave, and combines the techniques of cabaret fused with dark melodies.

Catherine writes about issues close to her heart - From her feminist politics to her battles with mental ill health. Catherine speaks about the EP’s title track as being, ‘a nervous step away from stifling surroundings and relationships and into a frightening (but liberating) place of resilience and strength’. For me, the stand out track on the EP is the beautifully intense and moody ‘Insurmountable’, in which Catherine openly explores the issues of loneliness and isolation she faced when battling mental ill health throughout the song.

‘So Far From Whole’ is built on deep-seated issues of discontent, self-esteem and solitude. As a fifteen-year-old girl facing my own mental health issues Catherine’s EP moves deeply and inspires, in that Catherine is not shamed into silence when documenting her challenges with mental illness. From my own experiences, I know that even talking about your mental ill health can be some of the hardest conversations you’ll ever have in life. The fact that Catherine takes these conversations further to a public platform is inspirational and hugely uplifting for a girl like me.

Catherine Elms is currently touring the UK with the EP and is headlining the acoustic night of the Punks4Mental Health mini-fest at the Kilkenny Cat, Llanelli on Friday May 20th 2016. Punks4Mental Health is an event aimed at challenging stigma and promoting positive awareness of mental health issues. The event is part of the national Mental Health Awareness Week and is supported by Llanelli Rock Scene.

Catherine has a blog which she updates frequently with posts about her music, life and political activism. Catherine’s blog can be found at; http://catherineelms.co.uk/category/blog/