The Joy Formidable w/ Everything Everything
Showbox, Seattle, WA
04.02.16
It was a solid night of music at Neumos with Everything Everything and Joy Formidable rocking the Capitol Hill institution well into this Saturday night.
Opening for The Joy Formidable was the UK’s Everything Everything. The 5-piece alt-rock band came out donning matching purple and yellow jackets and immediately endeared themselves to the crowd with the anthem-like “To The Blade.” The vocals are like a British Third Eye Blind, their sound a harder Interpol. For an opener, their stage set up was solid with great lighting and clear sound. Their reach definitely was wide as a lot of the crowd was there to see them, to the point they were asking fellow patrons if they could sneak up front for Everything Everything and then they would go to the back for The Joy Formidable. All in all, this group from across the pond delivered a brand of unique rock, with interesting hooks that properly warmed the crowd up for some Welsh punk rock.
Hailing from the island of Wales, The Joy Formidable’s current members came together in 2009 and are now on tour supporting their 2016 full-length, Hitch. Lead singer Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan walked out on stage with two Solo cups and a smile and went right into “The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade.” With a banner of splattered paint that spelled out their name, they played a 13-song set of their best alt-rock tracks. Throughout their set, drummer Matthew James Thomas was a force of nature behind the tom-toms, banging on his kit like a tornado rolls over the plains. TJF have a chemistry only years of touring creates with those in-between smiles toward each other that truly highlight the fun they’re having.
The highlight of the night was when Bryan and bass player Rhydian Dafydd came out into the crowd to play an acoustic version of “The Brook” in the middle of the masses. There was a VIP meet and greet before the concert, but this moment made everyone in the crowd a VIP. With their driving rhythms, booming vocals, and boundless energy, even after nearly ten years, TJF is a force to be reckoned with.
Review and photos by Phillip Johnson
The Joy Formidable
Everything Everything
