The Joy Formidable
Encyclopedia
The Joy Formidable are a three-piece band formed in 2007 in North Wales
and currently located in London
, England
. The band consists of Ritzy Bryan (lead vocals, guitar
), Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar
, backing vocals), and Matt Thomas (drums, percussion).
band Tricky Nixon
, which later reformed into Sidecar Kisses. After Sidecar Kisses split up in 2007 they regrouped, returning to their Welsh home town of Mold
, and formed The Joy Formidable with Justin Stahley on drums.
For six months, the pair wrote together, experimenting with different sonic approaches. As the sessions began yielding signature tunes like "Austere
" and "Cradle" - tracks that combined the duo's interest in thick, textured noises with clear, shimmering pop hooks - took form. "We'd always been into writing strong melodies," Bryan says. "The sparks really flew when we started messing with things that were choral and symphonic, mixed with what both of us had already enjoyed separately: dirty, loud, rhythmic guitars and thick bass-lines."
The Joy Formidable released "Austere
" as a single in July 2008, followed by "Cradle" on double 7" later that summer, and quickly produced an eight-track EP, A Balloon Called Moaning
, which they released themselves in the UK in early 2009. Also in 2009 Justin Stahley was replaced by Matt Thomas on drums. Having relocated to London, the trio quickly earned a reputation for blistering live performances. "We love and encourage the beautiful double-pedal," says Bryan, with a chuckle. "We do lean towards a slightly metal aesthetic when it comes to drums, which makes it very loud and heavy and all the things we want to be as a live entity. The new album definitely explores those elements, and that's because of Matt being in the band."
The trio spent 2009 touring the UK, Europe and Australia with bands including Editors
, Temper Trap and Passion Pit
, mastering tiny clubs and festival stages alike. Their introduction to American audiences came when Passion Pit invited The Joy Formidable to open a pair of sold-out shows at New York
's Terminal 5.
In late April 2009, they teamed with a new label started by Passion Pit's Ayad Al Adhamy
, Black Bell Records
, to release A Balloon Called Moaning in the U.S. The New York Times
' Jon Pareles praised the EP highly and it's "cryptic lyrics that glint with urgency." They've also earned critical raves from NME
, The Guardian
, The Times
, Spin
and Pitchfork
, heavy rotation on Sirius XM's indie rock channel, Sirius XMU, and praise from Garbage
's Shirley Manson
, Hayley Williams
, Dave Grohl
and Steve Nieve
, among others.
In summer 2010, the band signed with Canvasback Records, and released their debut album The Big Roar
, on 24 January 2011. The band worked on writing and tracking the material for The Big Roar when they weren't on the road. Dafydd said about the album that "(it) covers a lot of emotional range. It's captured the battle between the eternal optimist and the manic depressive." Their debut was produced by themselves, with help from engineer Neak Menter, and traveled to Los Angeles this summer to mix it with producer Rich Costey
(Mew
, Muse
, Foo Fighters
, Glasvegas
). The first single from those sessions, "I Don't Want To See You Like This", was released in autumn of 2010. In 2011, the band opened up the main stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals
on the Saturday and Sunday respectively. In August 2011, they also opened up for Foo Fighters at a secret show at The Metro the night before they played an opening slot at Lollapalooza
. On October 7, the band performed "Whirring" on the Late Show with David Letterman
. In November 2011 they played at Fun Fun Fun Fest
and their track 'Endtapes' was featured in the The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
film soundtrack.
Notes: - The track was released as a free download for Christmas during December 2008. - The track later appeared on the studio album The Big Roar.
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
and currently located in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The band consists of Ritzy Bryan (lead vocals, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals), and Matt Thomas (drums, percussion).
History
Childhood friends Ritzy Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd originally played together as part of ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
band Tricky Nixon
Tricky Nixon
Tricky Nixon was a four-piece band from Manchester, England and was a former band of The Joy Formidable's vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd. Their music has been described as "sleazy Breeders guitar thrash and tasty harmonies, with sugar and spike boy-girl vocals and...
, which later reformed into Sidecar Kisses. After Sidecar Kisses split up in 2007 they regrouped, returning to their Welsh home town of Mold
Mold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
, and formed The Joy Formidable with Justin Stahley on drums.
For six months, the pair wrote together, experimenting with different sonic approaches. As the sessions began yielding signature tunes like "Austere
Austere (song)
"Austere" is the debut single by Welsh Indie band The Joy Formidable on the Another Music = Another Kitchen record label. In a short review of the track The Times described it as "dreamy indie pop", and the track appeared on trailers for Channel 4's Skins.The song also appears on the band's debut...
" and "Cradle" - tracks that combined the duo's interest in thick, textured noises with clear, shimmering pop hooks - took form. "We'd always been into writing strong melodies," Bryan says. "The sparks really flew when we started messing with things that were choral and symphonic, mixed with what both of us had already enjoyed separately: dirty, loud, rhythmic guitars and thick bass-lines."
The Joy Formidable released "Austere
Austere (song)
"Austere" is the debut single by Welsh Indie band The Joy Formidable on the Another Music = Another Kitchen record label. In a short review of the track The Times described it as "dreamy indie pop", and the track appeared on trailers for Channel 4's Skins.The song also appears on the band's debut...
" as a single in July 2008, followed by "Cradle" on double 7" later that summer, and quickly produced an eight-track EP, A Balloon Called Moaning
A Balloon Called Moaning
- Japan tracklisting:...
, which they released themselves in the UK in early 2009. Also in 2009 Justin Stahley was replaced by Matt Thomas on drums. Having relocated to London, the trio quickly earned a reputation for blistering live performances. "We love and encourage the beautiful double-pedal," says Bryan, with a chuckle. "We do lean towards a slightly metal aesthetic when it comes to drums, which makes it very loud and heavy and all the things we want to be as a live entity. The new album definitely explores those elements, and that's because of Matt being in the band."
The trio spent 2009 touring the UK, Europe and Australia with bands including Editors
Editors
Editors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...
, Temper Trap and Passion Pit
Passion Pit
Passion Pit is an American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group, which formed in 2007, consists of Michael Angelakos , Ian Hultquist , Ayad Al Adhamy , Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer...
, mastering tiny clubs and festival stages alike. Their introduction to American audiences came when Passion Pit invited The Joy Formidable to open a pair of sold-out shows at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Terminal 5.
In late April 2009, they teamed with a new label started by Passion Pit's Ayad Al Adhamy
Ayad Al Adhamy
Ayad Al Adhamy is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and record label owner based in Brooklyn New York. He is mostly known as the synthesizer, sample, and percussion player of Passion Pit, as well as sharing remix duties with Nate Donmoyer and Ian Hultquist....
, Black Bell Records
Black Bell Records
Black Bell Records is an independent record label based in New York, New York. The label was started in 2010 by Ayad Al Adhamy, who is member of Boston synth-pop band, Passion Pit ....
, to release A Balloon Called Moaning in the U.S. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
' Jon Pareles praised the EP highly and it's "cryptic lyrics that glint with urgency." They've also earned critical raves from NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
and Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, heavy rotation on Sirius XM's indie rock channel, Sirius XMU, and praise from Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
's Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson
Shirley Anne Manson is a Scottish recording artist and actress, best known internationally as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage. For much of her international career Manson commuted between her home city of Edinburgh to the United States to record with Garbage but now lives and...
, Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams
Hayley Nichole Williams is an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist of the band Paramore.- Life and career :...
, Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
and Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve is an English keyboardist, best known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Elvis Costello and the Imposters.-Musical career:...
, among others.
In summer 2010, the band signed with Canvasback Records, and released their debut album The Big Roar
The Big Roar
-The Joy Formidable:* Ritzy Bryan - Composer, Guitar, Vocals* Rhydian Dafydd Davies - Bass, Composer, Illustrations, Vocals* Matt Thomas - Drums-Additional personnel:* Jeremy Cowart - Photography* Danny North - Photography* Alex Kirzhner - Layout-Reception:...
, on 24 January 2011. The band worked on writing and tracking the material for The Big Roar when they weren't on the road. Dafydd said about the album that "(it) covers a lot of emotional range. It's captured the battle between the eternal optimist and the manic depressive." Their debut was produced by themselves, with help from engineer Neak Menter, and traveled to Los Angeles this summer to mix it with producer Rich Costey
Rich Costey
Rich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...
(Mew
Mew (band)
Mew is a Danish alternative music band consisting of Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen. Bassist Johan Wohlert was also a founding member of the band, but left in 2006...
, Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, Glasvegas
Glasvegas
Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan , Rab Allan , Paul Donoghue and Jonna Löfgren . The band received critical acclaim for their debut album Glasvegas which was released in September 2008, reaching No...
). The first single from those sessions, "I Don't Want To See You Like This", was released in autumn of 2010. In 2011, the band opened up the main stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
on the Saturday and Sunday respectively. In August 2011, they also opened up for Foo Fighters at a secret show at The Metro the night before they played an opening slot at Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
. On October 7, the band performed "Whirring" on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
. In November 2011 they played at Fun Fun Fun Fest
Fun Fun Fun Fest
Fun Fun Fun Fest is an annual music festival held in Austin, Texas. Started in 2006, the festival brings together many progressive and underground musicians with a focus on indie rock, punk rock/hardcore, and hip hop/DJ....
and their track 'Endtapes' was featured in the The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, commonly referred to as Breaking Dawn, is a 2011/2012 two-part romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The two parts form the fourth and final installment in the The Twilight Saga series...
film soundtrack.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| 2011 | The Big Roar The Big Roar -The Joy Formidable:* Ritzy Bryan - Composer, Guitar, Vocals* Rhydian Dafydd Davies - Bass, Composer, Illustrations, Vocals* Matt Thomas - Drums-Additional personnel:* Jeremy Cowart - Photography* Danny North - Photography* Alex Kirzhner - Layout-Reception:...
|
31 | 8 |
Extended plays
| Album | |
|---|---|
| A Balloon Called Moaning A Balloon Called Moaning - Japan tracklisting:... Japan edition
UK edition
US edition
|
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
CAN Alt Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
US Alt |
US Rock Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
|||
| 2008 | "My Beerdrunk Soul Is Sadder Than a Hundred Dead Christmas Trees" | – | – | – | – | – |
| "Austere Austere (song) "Austere" is the debut single by Welsh Indie band The Joy Formidable on the Another Music = Another Kitchen record label. In a short review of the track The Times described it as "dreamy indie pop", and the track appeared on trailers for Channel 4's Skins.The song also appears on the band's debut... " (Vinyl only) |
– | – | – | – | A Balloon Called Moaning | |
| 2009 | "Cradle" (Vinyl only) | – | – | – | – | |
| "Whirring" (Vinyl only) | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2010 | "Popinjay" | – | – | – | – | – |
| "Greyhounds in the Slips" (featuring Paul Draper) | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "I Don't Want To See You Like This" | – | – | – | – | The Big Roar | |
| 2011 | "Austere" (re-release Reissue A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions.... ) |
– | – | – | – | |
| "Whirring" (re-release) | – | 8 | 7 | 21 | ||
| "A Heavy Abacus" | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Cradle" (re-release) | – | – | – | – |
Notes: - The track was released as a free download for Christmas during December 2008. - The track later appeared on the studio album The Big Roar.
External links
- Official website
- Official forum
- The Joy Formidable on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- The Joy Formidable on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
- The Joy Formidable video interview on Virgin Red Room
- Interview with What's On Wales
- Interview on The Music Fix
- The Joy Formidable biography from BBC Wales
- The Joy Formidable's Reading and Leeds appearance on BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
- http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/03/30/the-joy-formidable-signs-to-passion-pits-label-announces-u-s-dates/