Wills & The Willing
Appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2008
Wills and the Willing is the gritty collective behind November’s barrier-breaking anti-racism single ‘Skin’ featuring Didier Drogba of Chelsea football fame. Praised by the Times and the Sun, ‘Skin’ is just a glimpse of what Ian Will’s razor-sharp voice is capable of.
Ian’s pull-no-punches style is born out of his extraordinary swing from miserable poverty to enjoying the hills of Marbella. The Wills and the Willing frontman emerged from an out-of-control, drug-addicted young teen to become a successful businessman. In this sense, Ian is no stranger to the spotlight; his stories of ‘making it’ (of which there are many) include selling copies of the banned book Spycatcher dressed in an Uncle Sam costume outside of the US Embassy. His ballsy attitude and blunt, confident speak that brought him success in business are the traits that make Wills such a compelling artist.
10 years ago, Wills founded Working Class Records, working with other artists, but after becoming seriously ill in 2004, decided that he still had something to say; it was time to step back in front of the microphone. When Wills decided that he was going to take his spoken word poetry to the next level, he got the very best talent possible to take his power house musical style to the next level.
Having released his first album ‘Kerbside’ to much acclaim (pick of the Fringe at the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Wills has completely changed his sound, moving away from his Madness-inspired pop sensibilities to pared down, street-styled grit rap that gives Mike Skinner a run for his money. With his band mates Tilly and Adj (formerly of the band Kubb), Wills works with an all-star cast of guest vocalists, including Mercury Music Prize-nominated singer Tom McRae, rapper Dandelion, Lianne Carroll (2006 BBC Radio 2 Jazz Singer of the Year), Kubb frontman Harry Collier, Moke band members John Hogg and Charlie Morton, plus footballers Didier Drogba and Michael Essien.
With Heroes and Villains, Ian Wills speaks the truth better than anyone else; don’t you dare forget it.