For a country with a population just a shade over the three million resident mark, Wales has managed to export their fair share of top notch musical talent over the past decades. Super Furry Animals, the Manic Street Preachers, Scritti Politti, mclusky, John Cale, Gene Loves Jezebel, and Kelly’s favorite, Bullet for My Valentine, all proudly claim Welsh origins. Of the bunch, though, Danny’s favorite is The Joy Formidable. This trio somehow manages to create a massive sound from a trim lineup. Check out the intensity from The Joy Formidable live at Denver’s Bluebird Theater with us!
When their debut LP, the appropriately titled The Big Roar, was released at the beginning of 2011 it hearkened back to the noisier side of the early 1990s British shoegaze scene. Then, bands including Curve and Catherine Wheel took the genre’s ethereal qualities in a harder-edged direction.
Last Wednesday, The Joy Formidable closed out their current headlining tour in Denver in support of their new third record, Hitch. We were thrilled to be on hand to capture all the raucous energy!
Perhaps the most memorable portion of the night’s performance was how The Joy Formidable began their encore. After the high volume antics of their main set (and some climactic gong-banging from drummer Matt Thomas), vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Brian and bassist Rhydian Dafydd came out into the audience for an acoustic performance. With the house lights turned up, the two were enveloped by an appreciative crowd before heading back to the stage to close things out with a properly electrified tune.
Thanks again to The Joy Formidable for putting on such a phenomenal live show! We hope they make it back to Colorado again soon. In the meantime, listen to one of our favorite of their songs, “This Ladder is Ours” from their 2013 sophomore release, Wolf’s Law.
