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As Bjork said: “It’s oh, so quiet. Shhhh, shhhh.” So quiet that, as the haunting, sweeping set opener ‘Golden’ fades out with stark piano strokes, the space that is normally filled by whoops from the crowd is filled by applause, and then respectful silence as A.A. Williams and her 2-piece band (Matt Daly guitars/keys, and making a welcome return to a city that he knows so well, Wayne Proctor on drums) prepare to move into the stunning new single ‘Just a Shadow’. The venue is busy, though, it’s not quiet because of a lack of people; it’s silent because people are actually paying attention. So quiet in between songs that when the bar staff open cans, the sound reverberates around the room, causing many people to turn en masse and give said bar staff disapproving looks, with the bar staff having to resort to mouthing “sorry” many times.
The aforementioned new single ‘Just a Shadow’ is the first since the London-based Williams signed to German-American label Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). More known for specialising in extreme metal and heavy metal, RPM might seem an odd choice for the singer/songwriter/guitarist. Still, given that her compositions are so heavy, lyrically and atmospherically, it makes sense. Music can be extremely heavy without being played at 100mph with harsh vocals, and the output from Alex Williams gives credence to that thought. Especially the exceptional ‘Splinter’, where the explosion of sound from the trio a few moments in is as heavy as nails – looks like Alex has swapped her trademark 2001 Gothic Explorer (drool, drool) on this one for a Flying V. The dark visuals are stunning. Alex backlit in blazing red lights as the drums from Wayne Proctor kick in (great to hear him playing the heavier stuff, after years on blues duty). Red changes to blue for the howling vocals that are met by crushing waves of music.
Many might have first witnessed Williams when she opened for Sleep Token a few years back, but judging by reactions to certain tracks (‘Love and Pain’ from 2020’s debut ‘Forever Blue’ immediately springs to mind, and going further back, Williams’ debut single ‘Control’, from 2018), most in attendance tonight seem to have been with her from the off. For a regional slant, at times, the instrumentation sparks memories of locals Mogwai – that similar change from one extremity to the other; pain, joy, distress, with lots of cinematic crescendos. Has Williams scored a Nordic noir TV show before? ‘Glimmer’ must have been licensed to TV? No? The opening line of ‘Glimmer’ is “I can hear a pen drop here”, which is apt because more cans can be heard opening during the stark intro, meaning more apologies from the bar staff.
Although very dark, the stage production is highly effective. And once the fragile ‘Dirt’ fades out (credit to the audience for not ruining such a tender few minutes by needlessly talking), a large A. is illuminated as the stage is awash in purple, and that sudden, loud burst of music midsong takes a few by surprise and gives them a bit of a jump. Absolutely spellbinding, with some incredible playing from all 3. The gentle guitar intro of ‘As the Moon Rests’ later gives way to heavier, doom-filled, sludgier riffs, so much so that the large A. is now uplit in green to enhance that doom mood. Had it not been for the beguiling ‘For Nothing’ and always-stunning ‘Melt’, then perhaps the way that ‘As the Moon Rests’ changes tack might have been the standout moment of the set.
Leaving the stage to fantastic applause, and now that the music has ended, copious amounts of whooping, Williams heads to the merch desk to “awkwardly hover…”.
Stunning and otherworldly from start to finish, catch A.A. Williams on one of the remaining dates:
FEBRUARY
03 UK Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
04 UK Bristol, Strange Brew
05 UK London, Bush Hall
06 UK Southampton, Papillon
07 BE Diksmuide, 4AD
08 FR Paris, Nouveau Casino
10 FR Toulouse, Le Rex
11 ES Barcelona, La Nau
12 ES Madrid, Villanos
13 PT Lisbon, Casa Capitão
14 PT Porto, Mouco
15 ES Donosti, Dabadaba
17 FR Grenoble, L’Ampérage
18 IT Milan, Legend Club
19 CH Aarau, KiFF
20 DE Munich, Live/Evil
21 AT Vienna, Chelsea
22 CZ Prague, Subzero
24 PL Warsaw, VooDoo
25 DE Berlin, Neue Zukunft
26 DE Cologne, Gebäude 9
27 NL Eindhoven, Effenaar
28 NL Utrecht, Tivoli Cloud Nine
MARCH
05 RO Bucharest, Control Club
07 TU Istanbul, Blind
More information, HERE
Review – Dave
Photography @jakeowensphoto
