First things first: It is imperative that all quotes in this article are read in an adorable Wales/British accent in an attempt to come close to mimicking the deceptively small and cute Ritzy Bryan, front woman and lead guitarist of The Joy Formidable.
This lady rocker and her two UK compatriots know how to put on a dynamic performance and Madisonians should be bowling each other over in a race to the box office to obtain tickets for their show at the Majestic Theatre Tuesday.
The unique-sounding rock band kicked of their US tour earlier this month after wrapping their self-produced album in Portland, Maine, and they are excited to be playing again. The question is, will the Majestic be able to house their powerful sound and stage dynamics?
By the end of their set during Lollapalooza last summer, the stage played host to two giant, blow-up cat heads and Bryan ended up smashing her guitar repeatedly against a gong. Yeah, they are awesome like that.
In an interview with The Daily Cardinal, Bryan explained where they found the blow-up cats and the meaning behind them.
“We came across them in a store and we couldn’t… we just wanted the element of surprise when they sort of blew themselves up,” she said. “If they’re anything it’s for the element of surprise.”
She also said they had something to do with the music video director Christopher Mills did for them.
“He did a great video to our track ‘Whirring,’ and it actually involved pussycats,” Bryan continued. “He’s got an imagination that matches ours.”
And apparently the public digs it, too. The aforementioned video has over one million views on YouTube.
When asked about how many guitars she has smashed on gongs or in other circumstances in concerts past, Bryan had a slightly more difficult time coming up with a response.
“You know, I don’t keep track,” she said. “It’s certainly not a gimmick. I have to say I like the sound it makes on the gong. It’s a great sound.”
Intense actions such as this and lying on the stage floor shredding her guitar are more of a testament to the feelings flowing through the band during a show than any crazy antics performed for attention.
“It’s a very, very sincere display of emotion,” Bryan explained. “You share that with the audience, you commit to the sentiment and feeling behind the songs.
“I have a lot of emotions and I always play them live. You know, they’re not all dark. They’re very jubilant at the same time ... Usually the best shows are when you forget about the surroundings and [find that] conscious connection to the music. And that’s what we aspire to every show.”
The Joy Formidable boasts a new brand of rock that is both accessible to those less partial to heavier guitar riffs and those who readily throw themselves headlong into a mosh pit.
Their concert is one not to be missed, and who knows, maybe The Joy Formidable will have a new stage prop to complement their massive amounts of guitar shredding and enrapturing vocals. Not that they need it to get your attention.
