Andy Williams (drummer)

Last updated

Andy Williams
Birth nameAndrew Sebastian Williams
Born (1970-02-18) 18 February 1970 (age 54)
Manchester, Lancashire, England
Genres Indie rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, drums, percussion, keyboard, melodica, synthesiser, harmonica
Years active1985–present
Labels Heavenly Records
Website Doves' official website

Andrew Sebastian Williams (born 18 February 1970) is the drummer and vocalist of Doves. [1] He is the son of noted modernist architect Desmond Williams and the twin brother of bandmate Jez. Andy and Jez were born in Manchester, England and have a brother Dominic and sister Sarah.

Before forming Doves, the band's three members were a dance-club music trio called Sub Sub.

While Doves were on a hiatus between 2010 and 2020, Andy and Jez Williams formed a side project called Black Rivers, releasing a self-titled album in February 2015.

Andy sings occasional backing vocals and also lead vocals on some songs; "Rise", "Melody Calls" and the verses of "Here It Comes" from Lost Souls , "M62 Song" from The Last Broadcast , the B-sides "Hit the Ground Running", "45" (verses) & "At The Tower" (chorus), "Shadows of Salford" from Some Cities and the verses of "Blue Water" from the special edition of The Places Between: The Best of Doves .

Andy plays the harmonica on several tracks, as well as the melodica during live acoustic versions of "Snowden" and "N.Y."

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doves (band)</span> English alternative rock band

Doves are an English indie rock band, formed in Manchester in 1998. The band is composed of twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams, and Jimi Goodwin. Additionally, the band employs Martin Rebelski, as a touring and session musician on keyboards. The band released five studio albums between 2000 and 2020, three of which reached #1 on the UK album charts. A compilation album, The Places Between: The Best of Doves, was released in April 2010.

<i>Some Cities</i> 2005 studio album by Doves

Some Cities is the third studio album by the British indie rock band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Recordings on 21 February 2005, and became the band's second consecutive album to top the UK Albums Chart at number 1. Some Cities was conceived as a rawer, stripped-down record, and conceptually touches upon the physical changes of the band's hometown of Manchester, as well as emotional transformations.

<i>The Last Broadcast</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Doves

The Last Broadcast is the second studio album by British indie rock band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Recordings on 29 April 2002, and went straight to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's first single "There Goes the Fear" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 3, the band's highest-charting single to date, despite being released and deleted on the same day. Two further singles, "Pounding" and "Caught by the River", were also successful, charting in the Top 30. The Last Broadcast garnered critical acclaim upon its release, and was a shortlist nominee for the Mercury Prize in 2002.

<i>Lost Souls</i> (Doves album) 2000 studio album by Doves

Lost Souls is the debut studio album by British indie rock band Doves, released by Heavenly Recordings on 3 April 2000. The album was recorded over a period of several years, following the dissolution of Doves' original musical incarnation as house music act Sub Sub. Lost Souls was a moderate chart success in the UK; the album peaked at number 16, while the three singles taken from the album charted in the Top 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Us and Them (song)</span> 1974 single by Pink Floyd

"Us and Them" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, from their 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon. The music was written by Richard Wright with lyrics by Roger Waters. It is sung by David Gilmour, with harmonies by Wright. The song is 7 minutes and 49 seconds, the longest on the album.

<i>Lost Sides</i>

Lost Sides is a compilation album by the band Doves. The original incarnation of Lost Sides was a promotional-only CD released in 2001, and only featured the B-sides from the singles taken from the band's debut album Lost Souls. The commercial edition of Lost Sides was released with a revised track listing in September 2003 as a single CD and as a limited edition double disc set. The first disc contains B-sides from Doves' first two albums, whilst the second disc features remixed material. The 2003 issue coincided with the band's first DVD release Where We're Calling From.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimi Goodwin</span> Musical artist

Jimi Goodwin is the bassist, vocalist and guitarist for Doves. Before their incarnation as Doves, the three members were in a house music group, Sub Sub.

Jeremy Francis "Jez" Williams is the guitarist/songwriter of Doves. He was born in Manchester, England, and is the twin brother of bandmate Andy and the son of noted modernist architect Desmond Williams. Before their incarnation as Doves, the three members were a dance-club music trio called Sub Sub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There Goes the Fear</span> 2002 single by Doves

"There Goes the Fear" is the first single released from English alternative rock band Doves' second studio album, The Last Broadcast (2002). The single was released on 15 April 2002 in the UK on CD and 10-inch vinyl and charted at number three on the UK Singles Chart. Both formats were released and deleted on the same day. A single was also released for the song in the Netherlands and Australia, featuring two live B-sides. In October 2011, NME placed the song at number 137 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pounding (song)</span> 2002 single by Doves

"Pounding" is the second single from English band Doves' second studio album, The Last Broadcast (2002). The single was released on 22 July 2002 in the UK on CD and 10-inch vinyl, reaching number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. An EP was released for the song in Japan the same year to coincide with Doves' 2002 Japan tour dates. The music video was directed by Julian House and Julian Gibbs at Intro, the same team that directed the band's previous video "There Goes the Fear."

<i>Cedar</i> (Doves album) 1998 EP by Doves

Cedar is the debut EP from Doves, the first release from the band after the dissolution of their previous incarnation, Sub Sub. It was self-released on the band's Casino Records label on 9 November 1998 on limited 10" vinyl. The epic track "The Cedar Room" later became the band's first single from their debut album Lost Souls. Following the release of the Cedar EP, Doves briefly joined Badly Drawn Boy as his backing band.

<i>Sea EP</i> 1999 EP by Doves

Sea EP is the second EP from Doves. It was self-released on the band's Casino Records label on 24 May 1999 on limited CD and 10" vinyl. The band dedicated the EP to Rob Gretton, who helped fund Doves' early releases as well as when the band played as Sub Sub. Rob died of a heart attack only a few days before the EP was released. In the music video for "Sea Song," the opening title card reads "For Rob."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)</span> 1993 single by Sub Sub

"Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" is a song by British dance music act Sub Sub, released on 29 March 1993 by independent label Rob's Records as the second single from their debut album, Full Fathom Five (1994). It features Temper Temper's Melanie Williams on vocals. The song was the act's biggest single, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart; it became one of many dance singles in 1993 to cross over into mainstream popularity in the UK. In the accompanying music video, Jimi Goodwin plays bass, Jez Williams plays keyboards and percussion, and Jez' twin brother Andy Williams plays keytar. After struggling to repeat the success of the single, and after a fire destroyed the band's Ancoats studio in 1996, the group eventually reformed with a radically different sound as Doves in 1998.

<i>Kingdom of Rust</i> 2009 studio album by Doves

Kingdom of Rust is the fourth studio album from British indie rock band Doves. The album was released on 6 April 2009 in the UK via Heavenly Recordings. Kingdom of Rust was met with generally positive critical acclaim, and entered the UK Albums Chart at number 2. Two singles were released from the album: the title track, released a week prior to the album in March 2009, which charted at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart; and "Winter Hill", released in July 2009, which became the band's first single not to chart in the top 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter Hill (song)</span> 2009 single by Doves

"Winter Hill" is the second single from Doves' fourth studio album Kingdom of Rust. The single was released on 20 July 2009 via Heavenly Records. The song is one of three songs recorded during the album sessions produced by John Leckie. The radio edit of "Winter Hill" features a new mix by David Bascombe. In a track-by-track discussion with NME, Doves said that the song is about Winter Hill near Bolton, and that the track had been "hanging around since Lost Souls but we've not worked on it before...it just kept knocking on our door." "Winter Hill" was released as a limited edition 7" vinyl single, with the exclusive new "Dylanesque" B-side "Brazil." Three limited edition 12" singles or two separate digital download-only sets feature exclusive remixes of "Jetstream" and "Compulsion" by Sasha, Hans-Peter Lindstrøm, and Andrew Weatherall. "Winter Hill" became the band's first single not to chart in the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart on its week of release. It does not appear on their 2010 best-of album The Places Between, although its video is included on the accompanying DVD.

<i>The Places Between: The Best of Doves</i> 2010 greatest hits album by Doves

The Places Between: The Best of Doves is a compilation album from Manchester-based indie rock band Doves. The compilation was released on 5 April 2010 in the UK via Heavenly Recordings, and on 20 April 2010 in North America via Astralwerks. The album encompasses the band's entire career, collecting from their 2000 debut album Lost Souls, 2002's The Last Broadcast, 2005's Some Cities, and their 2009 album Kingdom of Rust, as well as an assortment of EPs and singles. The compilation was released as a standard single-disc best-of, as well as a deluxe three-disc edition, featuring the best-of album along with a bonus disc of B-sides, rarities, alternate versions, and album cuts, plus a bonus DVD collecting all of the band's music videos from 1998 through 2009. It peaked at #12 on the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andalucia (Doves song)</span> 2010 single by Doves

"Andalucia" is a single from Doves' best-of compilation, titled The Places Between: The Best of Doves. The song was released as a promo single on 1 March 2010. The single received its first airplay on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on 3 March 2010, and again on 4 March 2010, on Steve Lamacq's BBC 6 Music radio show Roundtable. The song was then released as a digital download-only single on 5 April 2010, the same day the compilation was released. It was the band's final single before their ten-year hiatus. "Andalucia" also marks the first Doves single release not available commercially on a physical format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catch the Sun</span> 2000 single by Doves

"Catch the Sun" is the second single from Doves' debut studio album Lost Souls. The single was released on 29 May 2000 in the UK on 2 CDs and 10" vinyl, and charted at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. The psychedelic, kaleidoscopic music video for "Catch the Sun" was directed by Sophie Muller. Jamie Cullum covered "Catch the Sun" on his album Catching Tales.

Black Rivers are an English rock band composed of twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams, who form two-thirds of the bands Sub Sub and Doves.

<i>The Universal Want</i> 2020 studio album by Doves

The Universal Want is the fifth studio album by British rock band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Recordings and Virgin/EMI on 11 September 2020. The Universal Want is the band's first album following a hiatus that began in 2010; the band members pursued solo projects in the interim.

References

  1. Leahey, Andrew. "Biography: Doves". Allmusic . Retrieved 15 April 2010.