Altsounds - The Joy Formidable [Live] @ The Ruby Lounge, Manchester

I’ve been to a lot of gigs in my life, the standard of which has varied greatly. I’ve seen works of genius from living legends, experienced sheer boredom from artists who should never be unleashed on the public, and just about everything in-between. Concentrating on the gigs that were memorable for all the right reasons though, I’ve seen some mightily impressive performances from ‘alternative rock’ bands, not least the greatest of them all - Pixies. Never before though have I witnessed a band so powerful, so in tune and just so goddam impressive at such an early stage of their existence as The Joy Formidable.

That their intense power is generated by just the three people (singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan, bassist Rhydian Dafydd, and drummer Matt Thomas) perhaps shouldn’t be as surprising as it first seems. After all, Nirvana were a dynamic force live, and Muse have been raking in awards based on their reputable live sets for years. But when you factor in that they have only been together (in this incarnation at least) for mere months, then the fact that this gig at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge already ranks as one of this writer’s favourite gigs ever, is all the more astounding.

Like the aforementioned Nirvana, the drummer is the driving force behind the band live, propelling already-fantastic songs onto another level. Thomas is a formidable talent, and whilst Grohl comparisons may be premature, there is little doubt on this gig’s evidence that such collations are achievable in the future. Propelled by such powerful rhythm, both Bryan and Dafydd set about working their own magic, producing walls of noise that firmly enclosed the audience in TJF’s world. From set opener and new single, “Whirring”, to encore closer “While the Flies”, they played all but one of the eight tracks off their stunning debut mini-album, A Balloon Called Moaning, all gems that their fans clearly hold dear. However we were also treated to a couple of new tracks in “The Everchanging Spectrum of a lie” and “Blackfriars Greyhounds”, both every bit as impressive as anything they have produced so far (they hope to record their debut album ‘proper’ this year, so this bodes well).

The set highlight though was the sublime “The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade”, which is without question a contender for track of the year. From Dafydd’s brilliant opening synthesised bass line to Bryan’s enchanting vocals, the song’s atmosphere just pours over you, bristling the hairs on the back of your neck as it passes – it is music at its most affecting. And this is what The Joy Formidable do; they affect people. Those who have experienced their music and now hold them dear, do so with love and loyalty that is invoked by very few bands. This gig was just another reason to love and be loyal.

Set List:

Whirring
Cradle
The Last Drop
Ostrich
The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie
Anemone
Austere
Blackfriars Greyhounds
The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade

Encore

While the Flies