Welsh indie rock three-piece The Joy Formidable have announced a run of headlining US tour dates. The band will play several shows on the east coast, beginning April 30th at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY and winding up May 8th at Jillian’s in Albany, NY. Along the way, the band will stop off in East Rutherford, NJ for an appearance at the Bamboozle Festival on May 2nd.
The Joy Formidable is the first band signed to Black Bell Records, the label founded by Passion Pit’s synth player/sampler Ayad Al Adhamy. The band will release their Black Bell debut- an 8-song EP titled A Balloon Called Moaning- on May 4th. The EP was recorded in the band’s home bedroom studio, and was entirely self-produced.
Of his roster’s first act, Al Adhamy says that “The Joy Formidable grabbed my attention when I first heard the EP. The loud guitars, epic drums and dense textures with lush pop vocals and melodies just stood out from everything else I was listening to. Since then I’ve been an addict, and so has everyone I have shown this band to.”
The Joy Formidable was conceived by music-obsessed friends Ritzy Bryan and Rhyddian Dafydd when they were both students in Wales. After a brief hiatus during which Ritzy and Rhyddian went their separate ways, the pair reunited in Wales and began to develop their sound. They relocated to London, brought in drummer Matt Thomas, and got down to writing and recording a record.
The band was pushed into the public consciousness from the very beginning, gaining a reputation as a band you had to see. This was well-deserved, as the band thrived on the live front; clamorous bass and waves of guitars all lay a musical bed for Ritzy’s evocative vocals. The band’s sound melds the huge expanses of its members’ native Welsh countryside with the hectic nature of their new London home. That sound has won them the praise of the highly influential NME and airplay on the UK’s Radio 1.
The Joy Formidable has sold out multiple UK tours throughout the past year and supported several standout bands including Editors and The Temper Trap. After touring the UK with Passion Pit, the band was invited to join them as the opening act to their shows at New York’s Terminal 5. Additionally, the band played two stateside headlining shows at Brooklyn’s Union Hall and New York City’s Pianos, both of which sold out.
Tour dates for THE JOY FORMIDABLE, more to be announced:
April 30 – Full Moon Resort – Big Indian, NY
May 1 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
May 2 – Bamboozle Festival – E. Rutherford, NJ
May 4 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON
May 5 – The Green Room – Montreal, QC
May 6 – Harper’s Ferry – Boston, MA
May 7 – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
May 8 – Jillian’s – Albany, NY
fantastic live band. looking forward to the album.