DESPITE HAVING ONLY one EP and an album to her name, A.A. Williams has proved herself to be a master of texture, emotion and space. And, despite not being a metal artist by standard definitions, her doomy yet cathartic blend of classical, soul and dark ambience has struck a deep chord within our world and has seen her head out of tour with Sisters Of Mercy and Cult Of Luna, as well as playing her first ever gig at renowned metal festival Roadburn. Just don’t call her ‘death gospel’…
PLAYING ROADBURN WAS A BAPTISM OF FIRE
“It wasn’t a deliberate decision to make that my first gig. That was the first booking that came in, then as time went on, I thought, ‘If you’re going to go out there and show people who you are, it would be cool to do that at Roadburn.’ It’s one of the first places I’ve been where I got into Tilburg and I thought, ‘I am meant to be here.’ I was absolutely cacking it. I didn’t sleep the night before. They offered me a 50-minute set and I only had 20 mins of music, so I inadvertently started writing the [debut] album then. But it was wonderful; it was a busy room, there was a big queue outside, everyone was so positive. I remember that more than the ins and outs of the actual performance. I just remember the atmosphere; looked down and Mono were down there and I thought, ‘Oh God, what are Mono doing here?!’”