Willson was raised as a Jehovah's Witness in Scotland[2][3] and in Bishop's Stortford in England, where he played guitar for local band Tin Foil Circus.

[4] Willson was worried throughout his childhood that his voice was too high so he didn't begin singing until his late twenties, and he originally wanted to be a visual artist.

He was also a member of the short-lived anti-folk group The Love Gestures alongside Cammy Watt of Enfant Bastard and Neil Pennycook of Meursault.

[5] Willson has said that his upbringing as a Jehovah's Witness "gave [his] fledgling artistic temperament a lot to think about", and that since he was taught that the world would end very soon, he began to "read everything as a sign".

[1] Withered Hand was an active member of the Fence Collective and its offshoot the Alter Ego Trading Company, making appearances at their Fife based events The World Tour of Crail and Bunfight at the OK Karail.

Willson provided backing vocals on Hamish Hawk's 2021 album Heavy Elevator, and appears in the video for the single "The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973".

The album was recorded and produced by Rod Jones and features contributions from fellow musicians including King Creosote, Kris Drever, Chris Geddes and Louis Abbott.