William The Conqueror - Proud Disturber of the Peace

William The Conqueror - Proud Disturber of the Peace

by Jonas Lenberg in Vinyl of the week

The first time I came across William The Conqueror was at the Wood Festival at Braziers Park, Oxfordshire, in the middle of May 2018. The band had released their debut LP, Proud Disturber of the Peace, the previous year. They were set up beneath the dim lights of the large circus tent, the one with the magical yellow and red striped canvas roof. The atmosphere was intimate, smoky and loud, and the crowd was thoroughly over-refreshed. Naomi on thunderous bass, Harry beating the life out of his drum kit, and Ruarri standing at the front of the stage with his guitar slung low and the microphone stand hanging out over the audience. I remember thinking, "Shit, these guys are brilliant." After the show I wandered over to the band, who were chatting by the bar. Ruarri was incredibly friendly and talkative. He asked me about Braziers Park, and I happily painted him a picture of the place. In return, I asked about the band's discography, and that's when I discovered they had only just released their debut LP. I was drunk enough that Ruarri took my phone and typed in both the band's name and the album title himself, just to make sure I'd remember it the following day.

Proud Disturber of the Peace is a remarkably confident debut album, blending blues rock, Americana and indie rock into a warm, organic and live-sounding record. It sounds like a band completely at ease with themselves, playing with enormous confidence from start to finish. The grooves are relaxed, the guitars are raw and the melodies are instantly memorable, while Ruarri Joseph's distinctive voice gives every song both character and emotional weight—you simply don't want to stop listening to them. The album moves effortlessly between driving rock songs and more reflective, folk-tinged moments, creating a wonderfully dynamic whole. The result is timeless, earthy rock music with deep roots in the American tradition, yet delivered with a thoroughly modern identity of its own. William The Conqueror comes highly recommended.

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