Kamaal Williams gigs in Leeds, Manchester, London and Bristol canceled following sexual assault allegations

Kamaal Williams’ gigs in Leeds, Manchester, London and Bristol have all been canceled following allegations of sexual assault which were published yesterday (May 22).

London-based electronic jazz musician (real name Henry Wu) has been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting three different women. As investigated by Resident Advisorthe three anonymous women claimed they were sexually assaulted by Williams in 2010, 2021 and 2023.

A rep for Williams shared a statement saying that “the very serious allegations are untrue and categorically denied by him and that he will be able to prove the same” (per resident advisor).

A day after the inquest was published (May 23), Williams’ upcoming UK concerts have now been cancelled. The musician was due to play Leeds’ Belgrave Music Hall on Saturday (May 25), along with a show at The Blues Kitchen Manchester (May 26), a three-night residency at London’s Jazz Cafe (May 29, 30, 31) before to end their tour at Central Warehouse in Bristol (June 7).

NME contacted Williams for a response to the allegations.

Resident AdvisorHis investigation spoke to three of Williams’ alleged victims, each of whom was unrelated but recounted allegedly similar events.

The first woman claimed that when she was 17 in 2010, she met Williams – who was still known as Henry Wu at the time – through her then-boyfriend, who was friends with the musician at the time.

While she and her boyfriend were on a break, she met Williams at a party where he allegedly made moves to kiss her several times. She claimed to have found a scarf in her bag the next day and posted on Facebook “Who put their scarf in my bag last night? It’s still there.”

The musician allegedly claimed it was his and invited her to his home to drop him off, claiming that his younger brother was at home and could not be left alone. The anonymous woman went on to claim that as soon as she arrived, he tried to kiss her, which she rejected, but eventually gave in and kissed him back.

Williams then “turned me around, pushed me against the wall in the supports, put his arm behind my back and tried to pull my leggings down,” the woman said, adding that she offered him a cup of tea as a way to diffuse the situation. She added that he went into the kitchen and came back, sat down next to her on the sofa and tried to caress her again.

She claimed Williams raped her on the couch against her will. She added that she never reported the rape at the time, but “made it a point to tell people” about the encounter. She added that she was reluctant to use the word ‘rape’ because she was so young and I don’t think I really understood what that was.”

The second woman allegedly met Williams after he played a show at a launch party for a London radio station in August 2021. She went on to claim that he blamed his actions on the fact that he is autistic and claimed he spiked his drink at a bar and didn’t remember everything that happened after that drink. However, she claimed she woke up in his bed disoriented the next day.

Williams reportedly met the woman the next day at a food stand to explain what happened that night. Claiming he needed to retrieve something from his car, Williams allegedly “tied my arm pretty tightly” to hers and offered to drop it off at her place.

When the woman reportedly rejected his offer, asking to be taken to a nearby station, Williams took her to him with canisters of nitrous oxide, where the woman claimed he insisted on inhaling the gas from a balloon. The woman claimed that although she verbally rejected his advances, Williams allegedly proceeded to rape her.

The third woman claimed to have met Williams in her home country in August 2023 and a second time in London that same year. She claimed she asked him out for drinks with friends, but he showed up in his car and wanted to go to a studio, also telling her he was autistic, which might be why he was acting weird .

She claimed that although she agreed to join him, she felt “the vibrations stopped immediately”. In the studio, Williams allegedly told the woman that he had never felt “this way about anyone and he didn’t really know how to process those feelings.” The woman went on to claim that she rejected his advances and decided to leave, but the musician insisted on driving her home.

Williams called the woman the next day to ask if she was upset with him. “I thought, ‘He’s on the spectrum and maybe I should give him a chance,'” she told the media. The woman continued to speak to the musician regularly while he was away on tour, eventually agreeing to meet in her hometown and reluctantly picked him up at the airport after allegedly starting să-i dea „vibrații nenorocite”, sunând-o constant în timp ce era cu ea. family.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Williams allegedly tried to kiss her in the elevator and she backed off. While in the room, the woman claimed she reluctantly let the musician kiss her, but she rejected his advances for everything else. “I kept telling him I didn’t want to do that. I said, ‘Why can’t you just accept that I’m uncomfortable?'” she said. The woman claimed he sexually assaulted her shortly thereafter.

All three women’s accounts were corroborated by friends they spoke to Resident Advisor to corroborate their alleged aggressions.

For help, advice or more information about sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the website of the charity Rape Crisis. In the US, visit RAINN.