Listening Loudly: the Parts and the Sum of The Joy Formidable

It occurs to me at the end of the 2nd song at the Joy Formidable's March 29 concert at Union Transfer in Philadelphia that they are definitely all that I'd hoped they'd be and then some.  By the end, after the enthusiastic gong banging, the public sharing of the band's fruit tray, the endearing Welsh accent, the loud, hard but eminently listenable and catchy music, and the fact that drummer Matt is a magical two-armed octopus on speed you understand it was very special indeed.  

This was one of those shows where you start out being enthusiastic of the obvious hard-playing talent and sweet-but-not-underrepresented singing of Ritzy, and you lean over to you friend and say something like "Ah, I feel like I'm watching a younger Courtney Love at the very top of her game without all the psychodrama!  She's really so good!"

And then you calm down a bit from that and realize, oh wow, hey, Rhydian is a rock-solid performer on each and every song.  He does so much, brings so much to each song so you lean over to your friend, and say something like "Damn, check him out, he's brings it to the wall each time!"  You add in something redundant and obvious like "He rocks!" and "He's really so good!" But then, when its over too soon and they have a harpist gently playing a tune which sounds like Whirring, and fuck you hope it is, because, well, that's a great song too, and then it is, and then the rocketship that is Matt's playing takes off for its final flight you lean over to someone - really, anyone - who is next to you, and you don't need words, you beam at them and shake your head and affirm, "WOO HOO!" and as a final coda, scream "YYYYEAH!!!!!"

And there you have it folks, the Joy Formidable: each member purely worthy and entertaining singly, and really, so good, as I may have mentioned before.

Go.  See them.  "It means that I can be happy for you.  Happy for you. Happy for you. Happy for you...."*


*(from their song the Greatest Light The Greatest Shade)