Gareth Williams (English musician)
Encyclopedia
Gareth Williams was a British musician best remembered as the bassist and vocalist for the experimental rock group This Heat
.
, Wales
on April 23, 1953. Williams was educated at Greenshaw High School in Sutton
, Surrey
. Further to studying for his A-levels he spent a period of time in Newfoundland, Canada. Around the mid-1970s he was working in a London
record shop
. An avid record collector, Williams made himself known to drummer Charles Hayward
and guitarist Charles Bullen. This eventually led to the formation of This Heat
where Williams proved to be a revelation, a maniacal and intuitive performer on bass guitar and keyboards.
and whereby experimentalism engaged them way from mainstream success. Regardless of this Williams and This Heat built up a solid base of passionate admirers. The trio shunned musical technique in favour of accident. They played their first concert in Feb 1976, only days after their formation. During the early days improvisation dominated the performance, but gradually they encompassed both abstract and formal, where trance-like soundscapes merged into violent - danceable – anthems with cascades of noise and silence. In 1977 John Peel
featured This Heat on his BBC Radio 1
show. This Heats performance proved an intoxicating hybrid of music played exceptionally noisily, usually in complete darkness, with a proto-punk attitude.
The first album This Heat (1979) was two years in the making. The maxi-single Health and Efficiency (1980) permitted Williams to demonstrate his now considerable skill. Deceit (1981) was to follow, but by then Williams had left the band.
. He also was to co-author the first Rough Guide to India whilst studying Indian religion and music at London University's School of Oriental and African Studies.
Albany Empire. Williams went on to be a promoter, a DJ and he recorded zealously at home with the singer Viv Corringham and furthermore with This Heats engineer Martin Harrison.
, Matt Johnson (singer)
, Steve Parry Hwyl Nofio
. Compact discs were to revive interest in This Heat with the re-release of the albums along with the archival 'Out of Cold Storage' 6 CD Box set : This includes Made Available/John Peel Sessions, Repeat, Deceipt, This Heat Live 80/81, Health and Efficiency and This Heat
This Heat
This Heat were a British experimental music group formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen , Charles Hayward and Gareth Williams .This Heat were active in the ascendancy of British progressive rock and punk rock, but stood apart...
.
Career Summary
Gareth John Williams, musician was born in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on April 23, 1953. Williams was educated at Greenshaw High School in Sutton
Sutton, London
Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Further to studying for his A-levels he spent a period of time in Newfoundland, Canada. Around the mid-1970s he was working in a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
record shop
Record shop
A record shop or record store is an outlet that sells recorded music. Although vinyl records and audio cassettes are no longer sold in the majority of music stores, in favour of compact discs and home video recordings products, people in some countries, like the UK, still use the term "record...
. An avid record collector, Williams made himself known to drummer Charles Hayward
Charles Hayward
Sir Charles Hayward was the 25th mayor of Victoria, British Columbia, from 1900–1902. He had one of the more unusual professions: Starting off as a carpenter, he went into the business of making coffins and turned that into a very successful funeral business, one which remains today...
and guitarist Charles Bullen. This eventually led to the formation of This Heat
This Heat
This Heat were a British experimental music group formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen , Charles Hayward and Gareth Williams .This Heat were active in the ascendancy of British progressive rock and punk rock, but stood apart...
where Williams proved to be a revelation, a maniacal and intuitive performer on bass guitar and keyboards.
This Heat
In the mid-1970s, Williams, Hayward and Bullen founded This Heat. This Heat were a group who anticipated punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and whereby experimentalism engaged them way from mainstream success. Regardless of this Williams and This Heat built up a solid base of passionate admirers. The trio shunned musical technique in favour of accident. They played their first concert in Feb 1976, only days after their formation. During the early days improvisation dominated the performance, but gradually they encompassed both abstract and formal, where trance-like soundscapes merged into violent - danceable – anthems with cascades of noise and silence. In 1977 John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
featured This Heat on his BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show. This Heats performance proved an intoxicating hybrid of music played exceptionally noisily, usually in complete darkness, with a proto-punk attitude.
The first album This Heat (1979) was two years in the making. The maxi-single Health and Efficiency (1980) permitted Williams to demonstrate his now considerable skill. Deceit (1981) was to follow, but by then Williams had left the band.
Post This Heat
Williams went on to study Kathakali dance drama in Kerala in southern IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He also was to co-author the first Rough Guide to India whilst studying Indian religion and music at London University's School of Oriental and African Studies.
Flaming Tunes
Williams in 1985 created Flaming Tunes with his friend Mary Currie. The music was raw, sorrowful songs, released in a hand-coloured cassette package.Mind the Gap
During the 1990s Williams briefly joined his This Heat band mate Charles Hayward in the avant-rock band Mind the Gap. He also was to feature in Hayward's monthly Accidents & Emergencies series at the DeptfordDeptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
Albany Empire. Williams went on to be a promoter, a DJ and he recorded zealously at home with the singer Viv Corringham and furthermore with This Heats engineer Martin Harrison.
Death
Williams died of cancer on December 24 2001, aged 48. Williams is survived by his partner, Nick Goodall.Legacy
Many musicians recognise This Heat as an influence to their music. This includes The TheThe The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
, Matt Johnson (singer)
Matt Johnson (singer)
Matt Johnson is a musician best known as the founder and only constant member of the group The The. Johnson is known for his often deeply introspective lyrics. Musically he ranges from slow acoustic hooks to techno-pop....
, Steve Parry Hwyl Nofio
Hwyl Nofio
Hwyl Nofio is an experimental music group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry. Steve Parry was Hwyl Nofio (from Welsh meaning ‘emotional swimmers’) is an experimental music group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry. Steve Parry was Hwyl Nofio (from Welsh meaning ‘emotional swimmers’)...
. Compact discs were to revive interest in This Heat with the re-release of the albums along with the archival 'Out of Cold Storage' 6 CD Box set : This includes Made Available/John Peel Sessions, Repeat, Deceipt, This Heat Live 80/81, Health and Efficiency and This Heat