Live Review

Joy Formidable – Koko, London

• 24th May 2011

An eerie stage setting, mood lighting and weird light-up cardboard cut outs on the side of the stage, I knew a night of great interest was in store…

Welsh trio The Joy Formidable were something else. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but it seemed the bizarre crowd, their cult following, couldn’t all be wrong. A harpist, with bright pink hair took the stage, and you immediately notice the weird stage set up, showing that you were in for a treat. Platforms, fake candle lamp things, cardboard cut outs of wolves (I could be wrong) and the drum kit set up stage left, and seemingly other bits of the kit all over the stage too.

I couldn’t work out whether front woman Ritzy Bryan was grinning from ear to ear, or putting on some sort of punkish snarl, but they seemed happy for their first 4 songs, from The Big Roar, which although being thoroughly entertaining, did admittedly all sound like one song dragged over a long period of time. When bassist Rhydian woke up however, there was more humour on the stage. OK, he wasn’t funny, but laughing at him trying to be rock and roll and smashing a bass drum to bits was amusing. They came across very Debbie Harry, Joy Division-esque but had their own unique take to it, and by the time they got to Buoy I was thoroughly ensnared by the magic they produced from the speakers, the way they were on stage, and boy had my preconceived hatred of women band frontiers disappeared entirely! Having said that, there was yet more comedy to come, when five hooded figures in red cloaks and masks took to the stage, presumably to provide yet another layer of vocal sound, but actually manage to provide a short comic interlude as they struggled big time to ring their heavy town-crier bells in unison, making their mysterious outfits look even more ridiculous.

However, there is a reason this band have a cult following, of people of all different ages and styles, it’s because they put on a show, they’re there to perform and they love their fans…so much show they invited the entirety of Koko along to their after party! Magnifying Glass and The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie were their fabulous encore pieces, and by the end of it I’d forgotten just how weird they really are. It is true, guitar rock is most certainly not dead.