Having received positive feedback at SXSW, a glowing review in NME, and with a Coachella appearance on the upcoming calendar, The Joy Formidable’s ferocious Colorado performance at the Larimer Lounger delivered on the promise of their recent debut album, the aptly titled The Big Roar. Catching this tour might be the last chance to see The Joy Formidable perform in smaller venues as their music and stage presence is set on epic.
Opening with ‘The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie’ (they also do song titles big), the band attacked the stage and never relented. The blistering, brief ‘The Magnifying Glass’ followed and contrasted the layered, soaring chorus of the opener with a succinct dose of confident punk. Singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd are a perfect pairing on stage constantly bouncing off each other and drawing energy from the crowd. Bryan’s charisma lies in her charming eyes that shine with delight as the band whips audiences into a fury. ‘The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade’ excitedly grew into a stadium-sized chorus while the post-punk darkness of ‘Buoy’ took a different path to an equally massive sound.
Holding together the swirling supernova of Bryan and Daffyd, drummer Matt Thomas adds a healthy dose of metal to the band’s noise by firing off the double bass pedal like a machine gun. On the massive closer ‘Whirring’, the thunder from behind the kit sounded like Lars Ulrich backing My Bloody Valentine as wall upon wall of distortion hit the audience while Bryan and Daffyd set about twisting every knob on their effects pedals while abusing their guitars. The guitars were tossed down on the stage and the band waved goodbye. After only eight songs, The Joy Formidable had conquered another club on their march towards greatness.
