On the evening of Tuesday 27th February, A.A. Williams came, saw and conquered the Norwich Arts Centre!
Spotlights
First up on stage were supporting act Spotlights, who were warmly welcomed by the cheering and applauding crowd, with one fan at the barricade informing the band that he’d travelled all the way from Norway just to see them. Spotlights are an American band from New York, formed by; Sarah Quintero (Bass, Guitar and Vocals), Mario Quintero (Guitar, Synths and Vocals) and Chris Enriquez (Drums).
The entire audience looked to be watching Spotlights’ set as if they had been hypnotised, with some having their phones out trying to capture a snapshot of the moment. We ourselves felt like a cobra being charmed out of our basket throughout Spotlights’ set. Spotlights played; Walls, The Grower, Hover, To The End, Joseph and, as a special request from the Norwegian superfan in attendance, Algorithmic. After a few songs, Mario Quintero shared with the crowd that this year marked 10 years since the release of their first full studio album Tidals back in 2016; because of this, their set would mainly be songs from the album.
Quintero also thanked A.A. Williams for having them on her tour; the band had only flown in from the USA a couple of hours before this show, but still managed to put on a storming performance despite the very long day! Quintero thanked the crowd before leaving the stage to warm applause. We must say that we really enjoyed our first glimpse of Spotlights.
A.A. Williams
Next up on stage was the amazingly talented A.A. Williams as the headliner for the night, with the crowd clearly looking forward to the show. Williams took the stage, bringing a somewhat magical, mysterious, even witchy vibe to the Norwich Arts Centre. Carrying her guitar, Williams wasted no time in belting out the first part of her set straight after taking to the stage, starting with Golden, Just A Shadow (a new single which was released in December 2025), Love And Pain and Glimmer, which took us to roughly the halfway point of the set.
Listening to Williams’ music was like a spiritual experience for us; her graceful yet powerful vocals had the room in a trance as we could see many swaying, bopped and moving along to the music. Williams paused briefly to speak to the crowd, beginning: “I haven’t spoken to a microphone in a while, so sorry if I’m a little quiet”, proceeding to play Control afterwards. We really loved listening to A.A. Williams, and if we could make any comparison to familiar artists, we’d say that she’s a much heavier rock and roll blend of Florence And The Machine and Lana Del Rey, making for a unique and captivating style. If you’re not at all familiar with A.A. Williams, then here’s what you need to know: Williams is a Metal/Alternative solo artist from London, who has toured the world in support of huge names like Cult of Luna, Explosions In The Sky, Russian Circles, Sleep Token and The Sisters of Mercy. Back to the show, though; Williams’ energy really has a way of making you feel at peace with yourself while you listen, and we felt like we had been teleported into a walk on the beach while Williams played Dirt and Pristine as the soundtrack.
We seriously could not get enough of Williams’ vocals; they truly were magical and with the instrumentals in the background, the whole atmosphere of the show was made even more mysterious. This was our first time listening to A.A. Williams and we have fallen in love with her raw talent. We can confidently assert that Williams’ has gained another fan (alongside many more who also attended, we’d imagine), as we were completely captivated by her music. The guitars and drums also sounded amazing, bringing just the right level of heavy to get us all banging our heads in time to the music. We’d really like to thank the venue too; Norwich Arts Centre is a repurposed medieval church, so the acoustics in the venue are outstanding, as is the general intimate atmosphere of the main room. We always look forward to shows at Norwich Arts Centre, as we know we’ll be getting up close and personal with some of the best talent around. Williams also played As The Moon Rests, For Nothing and Splinter before addressing the crowded venue a second time: “This is my time to waffle but I’ll try and be quick. I’ve been away for a while, but I’m back and it’s a little scary because it’s such a big tour. I also have some merch and I’d be grateful if you guys got some as it helps artists and I’ll be there after the show. Thank you for kicking it off with me! We’ve got two more songs”. The crowd responded enthusiastically as Williams proceeded to close the show with Melt and Evaporate.
As we mentioned, this was our first time listening to A.A. Williams and we’re so glad we came along, as the raw vocals, songwriting and atmosphere were immaculate. We love discovering new artists and new music in general, so we’ve got no problem in going to shows not knowing what to expect. We’re pretty sure that you would also love to listen to A.A. Williams after we had such a good time catching her show at Norwich Arts Centre, and you’ve got plenty of opportunity to see her for yourself at the following dates and locations.
Uk & Europe Tour 2026
January
- 27th UK Norwich, Arts Centre
- 28th UK Milton Keynes, Craufurd Arms
- 29th UK Nottingham, Bodega
- 30th UK Manchester, Deaf Institute
- 31st UK Glasgow, G2
February
- 01st UK Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
- 03rd UK Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
- 04th UK Bristol, Strange Brew
- 05th UK London, Bush Hall
- 06th UK Southampton, Papillon
- 07th BE Diksmuide, 4AD
- 08th FR Paris, Nouveau Casino
- 10th FR Toulouse, Le Rex
- 11th ES Barcelona, La Nau
- 12th ES Madrid, Villanos
- 13th PT Lisbon, Casa Capitao
- 14th PT Porto, Mouco
- 15th ES Donosti, Dabadaba
- 17th FR Grenoble, I’Amperage
- 18th IT Milan, Legend Club
- 19th CH Aarau, KiFF
- 20th DE Munich, Live/Evil
- 21st AT Vienna, Cbelsea
- 22nd CZ Prague, SUBZERO
- 24th PL Warsaw, VooDoo
- 25th DE Berlin, Neue Zukunft
- 26th DE Cologne, Gebäude 9
- 27th NL Eindboven, Effenaar
- 28th NL Utrecht, Tivoli Cloud Nine
March
- 07th TU Istanbul, Blind
Get your tickets here -> https://www.aawilliamsmusic.com/gigs