LIVE FROM THE PIT: A. A. Williams and Spotlights

On the first evening of February, we stepped into the iconic Brudenell Social Club in Leeds to bear witness to singer songwriter A. A. WILLIAMS. Since her debut album Forever Blue released in 2020, she has developed a dedicated following with her post-classical gloomy dark folk.

The tour is still in its early shows as it travels into Europe for the next few weeks, with SPOTLIGHTS joining them in the lineup. Over the years she has toured with the likes of THE SISTERS OF MERCY, CULT OF LUNA, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, and even SLEEP TOKEN.

Up first on the stage was SPOTLIGHTS, all the way from the US. The band is made up of husband and wife Mario Quintero and Sarah Quintero, with Chris Enriquez on the drums. Their EP Tidals is celebrating its ten year anniversary this year, so to commemorate they played the entire EP in full, plus their newer track Sunset Burial to round off the set.

There was a record winning snare drum change just before their last songs, as their drummer Chris had broken it whilst playing. The transition was seamless and earned a few cheers as another snare emerged from behind the scenes and they were ready to go once again. Spotlights’ sound is heavy, a doom-infused hard rock offering, with intense guitar solos scattered throughout. Sarah Quintero’s presence is the coolest in the room with her slick bass riffs accompanying the others. There were a few people at the front of the crowd yelling along to every word amongst the otherwise mellow crowd. 

A.A. WILLIAMS appeared on the stage with an emboldened A. behind her, and smoke gathering at her feet. Golden began the twelve song set, easing us into things. Just A Shadow came in straight after which transcended into a mesmerising gothic instrumental, followed by Splinter. Love and Pain is an alluring track that is full of drama.

Her sound is even more powerful in person than the studio recordings. You can feel every reverberation, and the aura emanating from the stage is magical. The soft hand movements contrast with the boom of the distortion as the tracks play out. As true to the genre many of the songs follow a similar format, starting a lot quieter and building up to something that is eardrum bursting and all encompassing.

Between each track WILLIAMS is reaching for a different guitar. There is a series of “pointy” guitars but amongst them is one with an incredibly beautiful sound. This is particularly prominent on tracks like Dirt. At one point she spoke to reflect on her time in Leeds in the past, noting her performance at the Brudenell in 2019 as part of StrangeForms Festival.

Adding to the atmosphere is the crowd that is deadly silent throughout as they take it all in. The setlist proves that these are songs that begged to be witnessed live. Personal highlights were Melt from the iconic Forever Blue album where WILLIAMS’ vocals soar and the tune creates a unique cascading of melodies that captivated everyone. As well as the interlude in Pristine, which is almost cinematic and when the guitars burst in, you are drawn into an other-worldly space that keeps its grip on the crowd. The set finished with Evaporate, one that resonated with the room as one of her more popular and catchy tunes. 

The performance as a whole is carefully and beautifully crafted, from the lights and the smoke to the compositions of the music. A.A. WILLIAMS offers an alternative perspective on the singer songwriter, where things are just a little bit darker.

Words: Danielle Henderson

Photos: Oz Davies