Rocking out for kindness: Sandy musician amps up anti-bullying message

Joe Williams, 16, has been gigging in the Biggleswade area, treating audiences to a mix of pop, rock, garage and reggae.

And the singer-songwriter has touched the hearts of his audiences thanks to lyrics about "real life experiences" at school and home.

Joe said: "I'm hoping that people connect with my music and my anti-bullying message.

"When I was at school some people were horrible and used to say things to demotivate me. But I was always kind towards them.

"My favourite lyric I have written is: 'Kindness isn’t measured by the way people behave' – it represents kindness at all times, even when other people aren't to you."

Joe also revealed that his friends had suffered from bullying, too, and had been great supporters of his work.

Meanwhile, putting pen to paper also offered a cathartic experience in December when a family member fell ill.

He added: "Writing things down really helps. I have such a passion for music and I hope it helps other people."

This summer Joe performed in Biggleswade for food vendor and Tik Tok star, Spudman, while garage artist DJ Luck has called one of his tracks "wicked".

The young performer has also had his music featured on Deal Radio and Laylow FM, and has been 'shouted out' on Capital XTRA.

Joe added: "I met with Spudman the day before [the gig] and he was great. He was fully up for it and willing to provide electronics to help me out.

"I performed some originals and some covers. The crowd were happy with it and Spudman invited me back the next day."

Joe has also performed at The Four Horsemen, Sandy, as well as events at his school, Sandy Secondary.

You can next catch him singing at The Bigg Theatre for an open mic night on September 24 from 7pm.

Talking about his musical heroes, he added: "Growing up, for quite a long time the band that inspired me was The Beatles. I loved their music, their mainstream songs like Here Comes the Sun, and then I found their underground stuff.

"In terms of reggae, I love UB40 and went to watch Ali Campbell live in Bedford. With garage, there's so many inspirations – DJ Luck and MC Neat."

Joe has chosen Music as one of his Sixth Form A-level subjects and hopes to study it to degree level.

His greatest ambition is to be a professional musician.

He added: "I would like to say thank you to my mum and dad – who try to come to everything I do, my brother Jack for his support, and to my aunt and uncle.

"I will also give a shout out to my guitar teacher, Jack Muir; he's the one person that has taught me guitar, and without him, I wouldn't be doing the live performances that I'm doing.

"Over the next ten years, I just want to be a musician – I don't necessarily mean selling out all over the world, I mean performing locally, for this to be my full time job.

"I hope to do this for the rest of my life."

You can find out more about Joe, and listen to his music on social media: @joedoesmusix.