The Joy Formidable – Bristol Thekla – 2nd February 2011
Friday, 04 February 2011
Written by Rob Sleigh
“There’s a few of you here,” The Joy Formidable’s frontwoman Ritzy Bryan observes at one point during tonight’s performance in Bristol. She’s not wrong. As the seemingly endless flow of people continues to squeeze further forwards into the city’s boat venue the Thekla, it’s definitely worth wondering whether tonight’s headliners would have been more suited to one of Bristol’s larger gig halls. Only a week after the release of their debut LP ‘The Big Roar’ and the album is clearly creating excitement of such immense proportions that it seems to be outdoing the expectations that were held back in October, when this tour of modestly-sized British venues was first announced.
As the three members of The Joy Formidable take to the stage, greeted by a stirring response from the noticeably compacted crowd, the North Wales trio appear more than a little surprised, not to mention delighted, by the warm Bristolian welcome. Launching into ‘The Big Roar’ opener ‘The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie’, the band immediately seem to be accomplishing exactly what you’d expect from a group that has been building up a live reputation for as long as The Joy Formidable have. Unfortunately for poor old Matt Thomas, the unseen drummer, the Thekla’s tiny stage is already largely taken up by the band’s set – a series of fairy-lit branches – and he is therefore somewhat concealed behind a speaker at the side of the stage. His bandmates, on the other hand, are experiencing all of the attention and are making good use of the limelight on offer.
Ritzy, in particular, is utilising her stage presence to full advantage. Although she almost certainly wouldn’t want to be described using such an outdated term as “rock chick”, this is definitely the first and most straightforward perception that comes to mind when watching her perform. Apart from the time spent singing, she spends much of the set defiantly moving around the stage, exchanging gleeful glances with bass player Rhydian Daffyd and generally throwing her shoulder-length peroxide hair around in a – dare I say it – rock chick-like manner. As she leans backwards, thrashing her guitar during some of the more livelier tracks such as ‘The Magnifying Glass’ and ‘Chapter 2’, it’s refreshing to witness a female frontperson that does more than merely sing.
On the other hand, co-founder Rhydian thankfully isn’t one for being a silent male backing musician. Both of the two original members of The Joy Formidable frequently stop between tracks to chat to the crowd, thanking them for their appreciation and exchanging the occasional light-hearted banter. One discussion in particular about the various sections of a boat – such as the one we’re in now – definitely raises a few smiles between the crowd and the stage.
After a few more crowd favourites from the album, including ‘Austere’, ‘Cradle’ and forthcoming single ‘Whirring’, the band take a short break before returning one last time to say bye and finish the set with ‘Heavy Abacus’. Promising to return in May, The Joy Formidable leave the stage for the final time this evening. It’s a great start to the band’s first tour since the release of ‘The Big Roar’ and, doubtlessly, next time will see them hitting some bigger venues.
Stereoboard Rating: 9/10
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Ritzy, in particular, is utilising her stage presence to full advantage. Although she almost certainly wouldn’t want to be described using such an outdated term as “rock chick”, this is definitely the first and most straightforward perception that comes to mind when watching her perform. Apart from the time spent singing, she spends much of the set defiantly moving around the stage, exchanging gleeful glances with bass player Rhydian Daffyd and generally throwing her shoulder-length peroxide hair around in a – dare I say it – rock chick-like manner. As she leans backwards, thrashing her guitar during some of the more livelier tracks such as ‘The Magnifying Glass’ and ‘Chapter 2’, it’s refreshing to witness a female frontperson that does more than merely sing. 
