LIVE: A.A. Williams – Lafayette, London 04.03.22

After two years of re-scheduling show dates and a tentative return to live music across the UK, London-based songwriter A.A. Williams delivered a stunning performance that showcased her heavy sound in all its glory at Lafayette last night.

A classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Williams’ blending of post-rock and post-classical elements has a hypnotising quality, one that was clearly appreciated by her silent crowd. It’s rare to hear a venue so quiet between songs, but Williams congregation remained devotedly still throughout her set.

Performing songs from her debut album Forever Blue, which she released in 2020, Williams opened the show with an exquisite rendition of ‘All I Asked For (Was To End It All)’. Her soft vocals floated above beguiling keys before heavy riffs and percussion broke the spell and dominated the track’s closing minute. What’s obvious throughout the set is Williams’ and her bandmate’s impressive instinct for volume fluctuation. Her balancing between loud and quiet is the lifeblood of Forever Blue, and it’s something that translates beautifully into a live setting.

Suited in black and playing her guitar in the spotlight, Williams cut a calm and captivating figure, enhanced by her ability to switch from a fragile-sounding exhale of words to a powerful extended vocal. Her voice was occasionally lost in the flood of heavy, feverish sound, but in the moments where it did cut through, it made for intense and cathartic listening, effortlessly elevating the rapturous mood.

It’s hard to pick standout tracks from the set, as Williams’ performance had a whole, defined, cinematic quality to it. Her poignant renditions of ‘Dirt’, ‘Fearless’ and the emotionally raw ‘I’m Fine’ made listeners hold their collective breath, but closing her set with ‘Melt’ was undoubtedly a highlight. The smouldering, brooding track was stripped of its more melancholic feel once the blitz-like volume change kicked in, once again displaying Williams’ and her bandmate’s instincts for intricately cauterizing the ear drums.

Taking time to thank her fans between songs and genuinely appreciative of their applause at the end of the show, A.A. Williams provided an aural tonic of intense, beautifully executed sound at Lafayette, proving that the two year wait to hear her poetic ruminations on Forever Blue was well and truly worth it.

Follow A.A. Williams on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Prima Queen – ‘Invisible Hand’

A melancholy, but cathartic indie tune that gently explores the raw and un-nerving nature of depression, London-based band Prima Queen have shared their latest single ‘Invisible Hand’. Released via Nice Swan Recordings and produced by The Big Moon, best friends Louise Macphail and Kristin McFadden tenderly muse about the metaphorical hands that feel as if they’re dragging you down during periods of poor mental health via their swirling guitar sounds, candid lyrics and soft vocals.

Following on from their previous single ‘Chew My Cheeks‘, also produced by The Big Moon, on ‘Invisible Hand’ Prima Queen articulate a difficult but relatable emotional state with grace and humility. “The song was written at a time when I was struggling with my mental health,” the band explain. “It’s about the experience of blaming yourself for your lows and the exhaustion that comes with trying everything in your power to feel better. Depression is never your fault or your choice – it’s this outside force that isn’t you”

Moving through the motions with impressive elegance and composure, despite the sensitive nature of the track’s lyrics, Prima Queen have crafted a comforting tune that’s both poignant and easy on the ears. They allow listener’s a moment to acknowledge the difficulties of living with depression, without draining their energy or clawing at their mental health, like the ‘Invisible Hands’ the duo sing of throughout the track.

You can catch Prima Queen live supporting Wet Leg and Dream Wife on a handful of their upcoming UK tour dates, and at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton in May.

Listen to ‘Invisible Hand’ below.

Follow Prima Queen on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Proper. – ‘Huerta’

A punk-infused extrapolation on personal heritage, Brooklyn trio Proper. have shared their latest single ‘Huerta’. Taken from their upcoming album The Great American Novel, which is set for release on 25th March via Big Scary Monsters, the track dives into lead vocalist Erik Garlington’s thoughts about his unexplored Mexican heritage, punctuated by candid lyrics and thumping beats.

Formed of Garlington (vocals/guitar), Natasha Johnson (bass) and Elijah Watson (drums), Proper. have been cutting their teeth on the emo and punk underground circuits in America since 2017. Formerly known as Great Wight, Proper. noticed they were often the only queer people of colour performing in a predominantly white, heterosexual scene, which led to the creation of their new album, The Great American Novel. Described as “a concept album about how Black genius goes ignored, is relentlessly contested, or just gets completely snuffed out before it can flourish,” the record sees the trio resisting the conformity that comes with being taught to ignore your true identity and become “another dull American,” which they lament on latest single ‘Huerta’.

“We’re coming up on our third album and I realized I hadn’t written about my Mexican heritage at all,” Garlington explains. “My grandfather immigrated to the US in the 50s but died before I was born, cutting off the only tie my family has to Mexico. I grew up romanticizing it and it wasn’t until I was older, when my mom and her siblings spoke out about their dad without the filter one uses when speaking around children, that I began to critically examine what heritage and lineage meant. ‘Huerta’ is about looking at the least traveled part of your personality and day dreaming about the possibility.”

Actively evaluating his thoughts about his Mexican heritage throughout the single – “romantacise it to death / just don’t hold your breath” – Garlington and his bandmates offer listeners an insight into what it means to censor or ignore parts of yourself and the impact that can have on your own identity, as well as the wider perception of this identity in predominantly white spaces. “If these audiences are going to be a voyeur to the Black experience, I want them to hear this record and learn about our identity crises,” Garlington continues. Proper.’s unfiltered approach on ‘Huerta’ is a cathartic antidote to this voyeurism.

Listen to ‘Huerta’ below.

Follow Proper. on Apple Music, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram

Photo Credit: Milla Belanich

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: HOST – ‘Not Alright’

An off-kilter slice of synth-pop that buzzes with unrest, Irish musician HOST has shared her latest single ‘Not Alright’. Inspired by feelings of burnout following a one-sided friendship, HOST combines hazy vocals, catchy synth hooks and energetic beats to reflect the cyclical nature of the expired energy she laments in her lyrics.

Following on from her 2021 EP No Reply, HOST continues to build on her raw, confessional brand of synth-pop with this latest release, channelling her disappointments and frustrations into a sound that fizzes with the desire to break free from a situation that’s getting the best of her. Ultimately, she arrives at a place of acceptance, moving away from the toxic friendship and pushing forwards alone.

“’Not Alright’ is about constantly shouldering your friends’ problems, absorbing their stress and not having anyone to reciprocate yours,” HOST explains about the new single. “While already being in a bad place, this can quickly weigh you down mentally and emotionally. You can read their selfishness like a book, you know their next move because this isn’t your first rodeo and eventually, something’s got to give.”

HOST is set to release more new music in 2022. Listen to ‘Not Alright’ below.

 

Follow HOST on Soundcloud, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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