Backstage with Taylor and Williams

Local duo Taylor and Williams have become a must-see act on the local scene. With a new album just around the corner, we go backstage with the boys to find out more about their music.

Tell us about Taylor and Williams
We’re Pete Taylor and Andy Williams – not the Andy Williams, mind – and we both play guitar and sing.

We play acoustic folk rock, and first got together nine months ago, after meeting in a shady back street boozer in Cirencester.

Are you both from Gloucestershire?
Pete is from these parts, but Andy combines the haunting melodies of Essex with the samba rhythm of Cheltenham.

The usual question – how did you decide on the name?
Both our fathers had a hand in it!

What stage is the band at?
We released our first album Dogwood Blossoms, which was well received, and have multiple gigs under our belt, so really we’re just waiting for Simon Cowell’s telephone call.

Who are your main influences?
Nick Drake, Indigo Girls, Counting Crows and The Jay Hawks.

And who do you get compared to?
A male Indigo Girls and Damien Rice.

Who comes to see your gigs?
The masses – in varying numbers. To be honest at North Nibley Music Festival there were several dancing toddlers, and at the Folk on the Water Festival a chap who had to have been well into his eighties who came up and bought a CD from us. That is the beauty of anything with a folk ilk – it appeals to everyone.

What’s your favourite Gloucestershire venue to gig at?
For Pete The Priory Inn in Tetbury, and for Andy the Folk on the Water Festival in Saul.

Where would you most like to play in the county?
At the Cheltenham Folk Festival or Gloucester Guildhall’s really nice side room.

The best local gig you’ve been to recently?
Wilcox and Brooks at Kingshill House in Dursley were absolutely cracking, but I am also a big fan of Jim Lockey – an alternate acoustic artist out of Cheltenham, and we recently supported a duo called Crowcrag at The 2 Pigs in Cheltenham – they were cracking too.

Who would you most like to support?
For Andy it would be The Indigo Girls, and for Pete it would be Tracey Chapman.

What do you do when you’re not making music?
We spend the majority of our time either in the Forest of Dean robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, or Andy likes to spend evenings in Gloucester Cathedral plotting the downfall of Harry Potter in the next movie.

Have you ever thrown a TV out of a hotel window? Would you like to?
We once threw a walkman out of a caravan – does that count?

Have you ever had a groupie stalk you?
Never had a stalker, but Pete’s always suspected his shadow was up to no good.

Have you ever done something you really regret in the morning?
Both Taylor and Williams can honestly say we have never regretted anything in the morning as we very rarely stir until the PM.

Recommend one album to our readers, that you don’t think they will have discovered
Something by Jacks Mannequin – American middle of the road rock but very nice.

Number one ambition?
International folk rock stardom and obtaining the key to the town of Stroud.

Any claims to fame?
None whatsoever – amazing really considering the shear volume of celebrities in the world at the moment.

What advice would you give to local artists trying to make it in the industry?
Try and sleep your way to the top – failing that, remember to thank the sound engineer.

Where can fans see you perform in the next month or two?
Erm, er, ah – we are recording our next album over the next couple of months, so keep looking at SoGlos.com for future dates…

And finally, where can SoGlos.com readers expect to see you in a year’s time?
Being played in the background in the Vic on Eastenders.

See the Gloucestershire gig guide for details of forthcoming county performances by Taylor and Williams.