We are honoured to welcome the astonishing A.A. Williams to Ramsgate on September 26th. A rapturous blend of post-rock and post-classical, this is melancholic majesty to lose ourselves in.
“Enduring the emotional abyss with breathtaking grace and grit on her debut album; A.A. Williams’ Forever Blue is a record that reveals more of its sublime poetry each time it’s listened to” – The Line of Best Fit (9/10 review)
Making her stage debut in April 2019 and selling out her first headline show at London’s prestigious Southbank Centre less than a year later, A.A. Williams has hit the ground running. Similarly, the acclaim for her performances and her music has been unanimous from the start. After one self-titled EP and the 10” vinyl collaboration ‘Exit in Darkness’ with Japanese post-rockers MONO, the London-based singer-songwriter has signed to Bella Union and made a stunning debut album, ‘Forever Blue’.
‘Forever Blue’ smoulders with uncoiling melodies and haunted atmospheres, shifting from serenity to explosive drama, often within the same song. Williams is a fantastic musician as well as songwriter, playing the guitar, cello and piano, and her voice has the controlled delivery of a seasoned chanteuse whilst still channelling the rawest of emotions.
Having taken music lessons from the age of six and been immersed in classical music, Williams’ life was forever changed when she discovered Deftones in her mid-teens, “and after them, all things heavy,” she recalls. “It was music that made me feel included, that tapped into me.”
Thing were thrown off course by the pandemic, but Williams’ response has been ‘Songs from Isolation’: solo renditions of songs suggested by fans. As this project keeps posting intimate messages from a place of solitude, ‘Forever Blue’ will spread the news of Williams’ extraordinary talent far and wide – and once lockdown is over, she and her band will be taking the next steps on her journey by touring the record. She’s already come so far but this story is only just beginning.
“Bleakness and beauty in one stunning debut album” – LouderSound
“A stunning, haunting work that sets the stage for what should be an enthralling and even more provocative career” – American Songwriter
“A remarkable accomplishment” – MOJO
