The Joy Formidable's Intricately Intimate Acoustic Tour

The Joy Formidable w/ Ohmme
The Triple Door, Seattle, WA
02.21.17

Never a band to shy away from the prospect of tearing up a live stage, it was a pleasure to see The Joy Formidable in a new light on their acoustic “Leave No Trace” tour. They’ve taken their powerful licks and sprawling beats and turned them into an intricate, intimate portrait of a band. We caught the opening night of tour at Seattle’s The Triple Door, a sit-down supper club, where the sounds of clinking glasses mixed with the band’s witty Welsh banter for an endearing 90-minute set that was anything but quiet.

Opener Ohmme – formerly Homme – were like improv guitar rock on feminist steroids. The collaborative Chicago-based duo of Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham delivered percussive slaps and fingerpicking intertwined with gritty, fuzzed-out arrangements. Their voices were as strong as their twisting guitars, harmonic and haunting, and psychedelically stunning with weird, eerie edges. And to the crowd’s pleasure, they threw in a cover of Jim O’Rourke’s “Memory Lame.”

For TJF, the stage was set up like a fairytale camp ground, green grass littered with fall leaves, a tent, and a fake camp fire glowing at the center. The trio – made up of Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan (lead vocals, guitars), Rhydian Dafydd (bass, backing vocals), and Matt Thomas (drums, percussion) – came out and took their seats, an odd prospect for a band that is normally full of energy. That energy, come to find out, is just as infectious while seated.

Three albums into their career, TJF released Sleep Is Day, in October 2016, an acoustic EP that built off some of their previous live recordings and featured brave covers of Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes,” and Misfits’ “Angelfuck.” However, only one track off that album, “Radio of Lips,” even made it into the night’s set list. Instead, TJF all-out rearranged a solid lineup of other tracks, including staples like “The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade” and “This Ladder is Ours.”

In front of a backdrop of glimmering stars, TJF kicked it off with “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie,” from their acclaimed 2011 debut, The Big Roar. The new arrangement went from urgent to emotive with spectacular harmonies, before sweeping into a manic rush of guitar. Bryan and Dafydd took turns leading vocals throughout the show, and it was wonderful to hear the softer side of their talent, from near whispers to roaring harmonies. Thomas’s unstoppable beats on “Radio of Lips” meshed with Dafydd’s beautiful vocals, and they threw in a carefree cover of Elvis Costello’s “Lip Service.” Toying with their usually-blistering rock tracks, TJF turned them into something newly personal while no less ecstatic.

Between tracks, the band members tossed about funny stories and witty humor, leading into Smash Mouth cover, “All Star,” which saw Thomas pick up a guitar and join the fun. This rolled into “Tempo (Strong – Weak – Weak)” which Dafydd said, “I don’t think we’ve ever played this song live before, much less acoustically,” but it was fiery, with a galloping rhythm that transitioned with a mastered, quiet balance.

Their live interpretation of these tracks in an acoustic set was impressive both in the channeling of their energy and the expertise of their arrangements. Their internationally-hued instrumentation was even more apparent taken out of its usual electric home, and their culturally-informed lyrics allowed to shine. This was a treat of a show, and if given the opportunity, one not to miss.

The Joy Formidable Set List
The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie
Little Blimp
Blowing Fire
The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade
Radio of Lips
This Ladder Is Ours
Lip Service (Elvis Costello cover)
Whirring
The Last Thing on My Mind
All Star (Smash Mouth cover)
Tempo (Strong – Weak – Weak)
Llaw = Wall
Running Hands With the Night
Encore
Tendons