forum with the joy formidable Northern Wales’ The Joy Formidable brings a certain infectious energy to their live performances. Despite consisting of just three members, The band is able to produce a colossal sound which features layers of distorted guitar and double bass drumming. This past March the band was back in the US touring to promote their latest effort, The Big Roar. I was able to talk with lead singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan about playing shows in the states, the band’s songwriting process, and her favorite part about playing live. What’s the biggest difference between playing live shows in the UK versus here in the states? No glaring differences. No two ,'"-,#)*(#!'(#,).(9#:(#')/(#)#/(*K# committed and loyal fan base in both the US and the UK, both equally exuberant and passionate. How involved were you guys in the production work on your debut album? We produced a lot of the debut album and had a great ally in Rich C",!(K#-'"#6*"&5<(&#,(/(*)0#!*)<@,# and mixed the record and also Neak L(%!(*#-'"#<"%!+%5(,#!"#>(#"5*#0+/(# sound engineer. Is that something you enjoy having a hand in?
Your shows feature some pretty crazy energy, what is your favorite thing about playing live? Do you give any thought to the live performance aspect when writing songs? I like the unconscious side of performing. The best shows are the ones that you can’t remember >(<)5,(#K"5I/(#,6(%!#!'(#0),!#P#'*,# in a trance-like state. That loss of <"%!*"0#+,#')*&#!"#$%&#+%#0+7(9#='(*(# +,#)#*(0)!+"%,'+6#>(!-((%#!'(#0+/(# side and the writing, but they don’t *(,!*+<!#"*#8"/(*%##()<'#"!'(*9
U(,9#H!I,#/(*K#+.6"*!)%!#!"#5,9#:(I*(# <"%$&(%!#6*"&5<(*,#)%&#+!I,#)% integral part of the songwriting and the building of an album. How has the writing or recording process evolved throughout your EP and most recently your album? :(I/(#)0-)K,#>((%#).>+!+"5,9# :(#-)%!#!"#<')00(%8(#"5*,(0/(,# <*()!+/(0K;#!5*% our hand to something new. It’s not )>"5!#+!#>(+%8#7"*<(&;#-(I/(#(/"0/(&# %)!5*)00K#"/(*#!+.(;#>K#,'((*#&"+%8;# by the amount of time we spend together and how much writing we do on the road. The possibilities are wide open as long as the songs come from somewhere clear and meaningful .
You guys have played at festivals like Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds over in the UK. Do you have a preference between playing a festival setting versus a smaller venue? T"#6*(7(*(%<(9#a)*+(!+(,#)#8""&# !'+%89#W+/(#5,#)#,!)8(#)%&#-(I*(# happy. The band came together in North Wales, were there any local music genres or bands that &$B*.$).%",5*-"/5*$%: T";#-(I/(#)0-)K,#7(0!#0+@(#-(#-*+!(#+%# a bubble. There was a club in North :)0(,#<)00(&#='(#=+/#!')!#(N<+!(&#"5*# !((%)8(#6),,+"%#+%#0+/(#.5,+<9#:(# 8*(-#56#+%#)#,0((6K#*5*)0#/+00)8(#,"# when a band came to town we were ready for them. After this current tour ends, what other plans does the Joy Formidable have for the future? We’ll be releasing our second album this year. That’s set to keep us busy. chris MADSEN
photo from olikristinn at www. 2+<@*9<".
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