Review | The Joy Formidable at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea: "Interplay bordering on telepathy"
From the moment The Joy Formidable hit the stage, they are like an incendiary device.
Coming to the end of their first UK tour in four years, the trio are definitely road-honed, and like all the best bands display a level of interplay that borders on telepathy.
Led by Ritzy Bryan on vocals and guitar with Rhydian Dafydd on bass and Matt Thomas on drums – the latter at the side of the stage rather than the back – when they rock, they rock hard, with the frontwoman demonstrating a manic intensity in her delivery.
But it's not just pedal-to-the-metal, there is light and shade in what they do too. And they're also fond of jamming out – notably on debut album The Big Roar's stand-out Whirring. When they lock into their groove, there's something almost hypnotic going on.
In a setlist that cherry-picks from all five of their albums, and even back to their 2008 debut EP, A Balloon Called Moaning, most recent album Into The Blue is unsurprisingly well represented with the title track proving to be a highlight.
New single Share My Heat is a sinuous epic – a welcome addition to the set.
Between songs they're on good form too.
Ahead of the Welsh language Twrch Leuad there's some ribbing of Thomas's lack of knowledge of what is Dafydd's native tongue and Bryan's second language – although we do learn that "Dim parcio" means "no parking."
And when plugging their online music club Bryan proves to be a terrible saleswoman, much to her bandmates' mock-disdain.
Bryan also talks of the need to make connections with others, and on the evidence of tonight's performance, they have definitely achieved that – this audience is totally theirs.
Opening act Fake Empire are old favourites and the Portsmouth three-piece are again on fine form. Their atmospheric indie going down well with a pleasingly sizeable Wedge crowd that's come down early to support the support.
Middle band, The People Versus are a curious beast – this Oxford six-piece include a cellist in their ranks and prove hard to pigeonhole, which is no bad thing. They're described online variously as "dark disco and "museum-pop"(?!). Alice Edwards possesses an impressive voice and is a charismatic performer. Definitely ones to keep an eye out for in future.