WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR presented by SOUND KNOWLEDGE at Cafe Thirty8

William The Conqueror

 at

 Cafe Thirty8 

 presented by Sound Knowledge

 William the Conqueror is the band put together by songwriter Ruarri Joseph, alongside his

close musical conspirators Harry Harding (drums) and Naomi Holmes (bass) in the Winter of 2015. 

‘Bleeding on the Soundtrack’ is the secondalbum from the band, following the debut

‘Proud Distributor of the Peace’ (2017, Loose), in an abstract biographical trilogy

inspired by Hermann Hesse’s book ‘My Belief’ which housed three separate

essays on innocence, disillusionment and faith. 

In creating William The Conqueror, Joseph has found a vehicle to exorcise demons, and a

freedom to draw on a personalhistory that he’d unconsciously skirted as a solo artist.

The trio’s live performances have a boundless energy and rawness that has been captured on the

record with the help of producer Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Laura Marling, The Jayhawks).

Lifted from the new album is recent single ‘Looking for the Cure’, a song about redemption.

It’s raw, laid-bare song-writing but with an acerbic wit and an overall cathartic effect that

turns a dark experience into something more hopeful, even joyous.  As frontman Ruarri Joseph

expands:  ’Looking for the Cure’ started out as a mournful ballad about witnessing the process of

recovery from addiction: the tragedy of searching for something that doesn’t exist.

Then it dawned on me that if you’re looking, at least it means you’re alive

to do so, and that’s a cure in itself.”

Mirrored in the song’s contrary message of joy is the bold, driven musicality of

William The Conqueror.  Ex-Atlantic singer songwriter Ruarri Joseph (guitar/vocals) is joined by

Naomi Holmes (bass/vocals) and Harry Harding (drums/vocals) to deliver a brand of Americana

that bleeds into heavier Southern rock, with touches of blues and influences in the youthful

sounds of grunge and indie-rock. 

Looking for the Cure was recorded at Real World Studios, Wiltshire and produced by Ethan Johns. 

Doors open at 6:45pm for a 7:15pm performance 

Entry free