Daniel Docherty

Down The Rabbit Hole 2016
Sunday 26 june

Ugenda’s Maartje “hangs out” with Daniel Docherty and already can’t forget him. 

After his successful show where the audience was hogging every seat and crowding the muddy floor, I had the opportunity to interview the discovery of the day; Daniel Docherty. 
This Scottish singer-songwriter and former busking acquaintance of Passenger had managed to fill the small stage he played beyond capacity. No small feat.
To dub him a mere singer-songwriter does not begin to describe his style of playing and singing, which goes beyond the power chords and simpler string picking. (Mind you, I have no talent for guitar playing, so simple might be too harsh a word to use.) 
Daniel managed to enthrall his audience, to the point where they were absolutely mute while he was playing, singing or talking in his lovely, dense Scottish accent. You would almost forget that there were so many people there, were it not for their incredible volume when applauding or singing along; “leave me alone I’m busking” and “rat ta tadada ra tata I’ve got feelings” have yet to get out of my head.
I will try to do justice to the lovely conversation we had, what with me being a novice in interviewing artists.
What was it like, to play this festival, this show?
“This was one of the best shows I can remember. The audience was so respectful, something I have noticed playing in the Netherlands before. The people are always so respectful, I really like playing here. I even had a man come to my gig wearing a kilt one time!”

How many shows have you done in the Netherlands?
“That must be about six or seven since august. I played this festival called Eurosonic in Groningen, that was amazing. All those bands and shows were doing very well, . My show on Eurosonic is actually why I got signed to PIAS (Play It Again Sam; label to The Editors, Agnes Obel, The Pixies, Roísín Murphy, to name a few, MW).
I will also be playing Damaris festival in Amsterdam come july, and Troubadour in august, so I am looking forward to those as well.”

There were some people holding the Scottish flag in the audience, friends of yours?
“That’s a funny thing. I was on my way to a show in the Netherlands somewhere and heard some people speaking English, got to talking with them. As it turned out, they were also from Scotland and they said they were going to this festival; Down The Rabbit Hole. So I told them that I was going to be performing at this same festival. It was lovely to see they were actually here, with the flag.”

Your lyrics have a way of touching people to the core, how autobiographical are they?
“I heard people talking about seeing people cry during my songs but I didn’t see that myself. They did?
My songs are not really always autobiographical, it is more about accurately describing or portraying feelings. With this one song (containing the lyrics “just because you gave me life, doesn’t give the right to decide how to treat me”, MW) people often think: “wow, he must have a really terrible mother”, which is not the case. The feelings I sing about just have to be true. 

When I am playing I don’t think there is a gap between the audience and me. I try to get eye contact with the people who are there. To get to know each other in a way. It’s what I learned when busking, make contact with the people who are listening to you. That’s why I was squinting and making faces because I had to look into the sun trying to do that. 
I like this contact. I don’t do a show with a preconceived plan like: I will play this loud or on this level of energy. I want listen to and feel the reception and play to that. To me a gig is like we’re just hanging out, I am just the one playing guitar.”
So, what is next for Daniel Docherty?
“Next will be my single This will be fire, that should come out in the next two to three weeks. I am also working on my EP. We are waiting for visual content for that, but won’t let the release be dependent on that. After that, we’re hoping to release a second single around Christmas and the EP in between these singles.
Other than that, I am playing some headline venues back in the UK, like Saint Lukes in Glasgow, The Castle in Manchester and Islington Academy in London, which will have a capacity of twice what I am used to playing.”

When I tell him that that makes a lot of eyes to try and meet he gets slightly nervous, sorry Daniel. 

“Then there’s obviously Damaris in Amsterdam coming up and Troubadour, here in the Netherlands.
I am a bit nervous, but looking forward to it as well.”

Is there a last thing you would like to say, a quote of sorts?
“I am excited to play more and more places and I really appreciate the audience today and other gigs. I hope to see them again.”

I suspect he will. And we hope to be seeing more of him.

Daniel Docherty can be found on Spotify (where his EP has been streamed at least 300,000 times), and is active on Twitter (@DanielDocherty1) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/danieldochertymusic/)
 - Ugenda’s Maartje

DANIEL DOCHERTY
WHERE: Bellshill
FOR FANS OF: Passenger,
Bastille, George Ezra
JIM SAYS: Young singersongwriter
Daniel Docherty
launches his first EP tonight
with a sold out gig at Glasgow
O2 ABC2.
This Holy Fire is a stunning
debut that bleeds emotion. Written
from the heart, it just oozes
class.
Daniel’s stunning guitar playing
coupled with some beautiful
orchestration and Chris
Gordon’s slick production
results in something pretty special.
Add Daniel’s voice, which
has been favourably likened to
James Blunt, and you get a package of
the strongest quality.
It’s no wonder record labels are starting
to sniff around. The 21-year-old is the
real deal. Daniel is a familiar face on the
streets of Glasgow and across Scotland,
where he’s been busking for a few years.
He said: “I began to play guitar for
people in school, and started to sing and
write songs when I was about 16. I was
always eager to go out and try busking.
“I’ve been very lucky to be able to visit
different cities with my music, and have
had some great busking adventures
including going over to Dublin.
“Busking has given me a better understanding
of an audience — how to know
when to change things in a set or if the
mood isn’t right for certain songs. When
I watch videos of me playing
back in 2010, I really see a
huge difference.
“Busking has helped
develop my confidence both
personally and as a musician.
Stage presence and audience
interaction is something you work
on without realising by busking.”
If ever there was evidence that he’s
created a demand for his music, it was
when he made his TV debut in October
on STV Glasgow’s Riverside Show.
Shared on social media, his performance
received an unprecedented number of
views, likes and shares that established
artists would struggle to get. Daniel
added: “I got told it was the most shared
video, which is unreal. It was amazing to
see how many people had
watched and shared it. The
guys at STV have been very
supportive.”
When it came to financing the
EP, Daniel went down the crowdfunding
route. Thanks to his
ever-growing fan base, he easily
surpassed the target ahead of
schedule.
He said: “I was very lucky with
my pledge campaign. People
have been so generous.”
Though he’s played plenty of
shows on his own, Daniel’s gig
tonight at O2 ABC 2 will be the
first time he’s performed to
a live audience with a full
band. Understandably, he’s
a bit nervous. He admitted:
“I am terrified! I just hope I
can get through the set. I’m
still trying to get my head
around it being sold out. I
spent a lot of time promoting
the gig, and the hours
have paid off. I need to get
into the frame of mind of
‘looking forward’ to the gig rather than
being worried about it.
“I suppose it’s natural to be nervous,
but sometimes it’s difficult to enjoy yourself
when nerves get the better of you.”
I’m sure he’ll be fine, and I can’t wait
to check out his set tonight.
MORE: facebook.com/danieldochertymusic
lJim presents Drivetime on XFM Scotland,
Monday to Friday 4-7pm.
www.xfm.co.uk www.jimgellatly.com - Jim Gellatly (The Sun - UK)