William The Conqueror will soon tour the UK with dates including London’s Moth Club on 14 November – the trio became an industry buzz band this year when they were snapped up by record label Loose, publishers Blue Raincoat and were championed by influential media including Clash, Metro/Killing Moon, Adobe & Tear Drop, The 405, Folk Radio, One Stop Record Shop and The Guardian who described their music as “stomping country rock veering into stoner grunge”.
Hailing from the North coast of Cornwall, the band is lead by former folk star Ruarri Joseph alongside multi-instrumentalists Harry Harding and Naomi Holmes. Their debut release Proud Disturber Of The Peace landed no. 6 in the UK’s Official Americana Chart as well as no.4 in the Indie Breakers and received rave reviews from publications including Q Magazine and The 405. With a hotly anticipated UK headline tour in November alongside additional support dates for Danny And The Champions Of The World and plans underway on a follow up to their critically acclaimed debut album – 2018 is already looking like it will submit to the might of William the Conqueror.
For more information and to pre-order please visit http://smarturl.it/ProudDisturber
TOUR DATES:
31 Oct – CAMBRIDGE Portland Arms*
1 Nov – BIRMINGHAM Glee Club*
2 Nov – CARDIFF Glee Club*
3 Nov – BATH Moles*
6 Nov – LONDON Borderline*
7 Nov – BRIGHTON Hope & Ruin*
8 Nov – NOTTINGHAM Glee Club*
9 Nov – NORWICH Waterfront*
10 Nov – SWANAGE Square & Compass
11 Nov – STROUD Prince Albert
14 Nov – LONDON Moth Club
15 Nov – GUILDFORD Star Inn
16 Nov – BRIGHTON Green Door Store
17 Nov – BEXHILL Albatross Club
19 Nov – SHEFFIELD Greystones
20 Nov – MANCHESTER Castle Hotel
21 Nov – BRISTOL Louisiana
22 Nov – CARDIFF Clwb Ifor Bach
23 Nov – DURHAM Old Cinema Launderette
25 Nov – LEEDS High & Lonesome Festival
26 Nov – EXETER Phoenix Voodoo Room
02 Dec – PORTHTOWAN Eco Park
03 Dec – LEICESTER Donkey**
04 Dec – PERTH Inchyra Arts Club**
05 Dec – EDINBURGH Voodoo Rooms**
06 Dec – GLASGOW Stereo**
* solo with Wildwood Kin
** with Danny & The Champions Of The World
Notes to editors:
William The Conqueror features Ruarri Joseph, a former folk singer-songwriter who walked away from a major record label deal to explore the music he wanted to make after feeling restricted by their A&R vision for his music. Joseph enthuses about the band’s more rock sound: “I think they wanted to box me in as something I wasn’t but I didn’t know what I was either at that time. I spent a lot of time on the folk circuit with my beard and guitar and had a blast. It paid the bills for a while and for that reason was tricky to think outside the box creatively. At some point I figured my younger grungy self would’ve been disappointed in what I’d become. William became a way to pay tribute to those forgotten dreams I guess.”
Joseph recently appeared in Laura Barton’s Notes from a Musical Island, BBC Radio 4 Documentary this week, discussing the balance he maintains between the demands of touring and the allure of the Cornish surf off Newquay and the woods and hills of his childhood home. Listen again here.
Hailing from the North coast of Cornwall, the band also features multi-instrumentalists Harry Harding and Naomi Holmes – their debut album charges through ten raw tracks, asserting itself with opener In My Dreams, a song about destiny, disappointment and defiance; driving drums and heart racing bass setting the tone. Other standouts include the confessional and timeless Pedestals, the mysteriously triumphant Cold Ontario and epic future single Tend To The Thorns with its earworm guitar hooks, blistering drums and ethereal harmonies.
Sculpted off the radar with no-one to answer to but themselves the band ended up recording the album in Joseph’s garage (literally disturbing the peace) after plans to record it on the Isle of Lewis were hampered by a hurricane killing the power. Undeterred and embracing the ethos of roots based producers such as Ethan Johns and Ryan Hewitt and with input from Slowdive’s Neil Halstead, they were adamant they wanted to keep the edges loose, opting for single live takes and avoiding excessive overdubs, focusing on the vibe. The results sing with the confident energy of a band comfortable in their own skin, striking a vein of creativity and running with it.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProudDisturber
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/williamtheconquerormusic/
Web: http://www.williamtheconqueror.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamtheconquerormusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/conquerthewilliam
‘Proud Disturber Of The Peace’ track list:
1. In My Dreams
2. Tend To The Thorns
3. Did You Wrong
4. Pedestals
5. Sunny Is The Style
6. The Many Faces Of A Good Truth
7. Proud Disturber Of The Peace
8. Cold Ontario
9. Mind Keeps Changing
10. Manawatu
For all press requests please contact:
Thom@sonicpr.co.uk
