My career as a music fan has been in good standing for some time now and as my taste, shall we say, has matured (though it could very well be my years catching up with me) i'm less tolerant of mediocrity, less wowed by the fanfare and don't make many bones about it. This comes into play with a recent show at Union Hall here in Brooklyn.
Playing: The U.K.'s own The Joy Formidable. Though under good advisement this was a show not to be missed, i still needed to see for myself. Their name, a mouthful for sure, invoked some thought as to what is a Joy Formidable. I got my answer and then some. This 3 piece, on a tiny stage (shadowed by what looks like a painting of Robin Williams in drag) in a room jam packed full of fans, industry peeps and others curious, were a force to be reckoned with. Not only were they great, loud, heavy and well, great again but this trio showed us that if you've got it flaunt it, no need to clutter the stage with erroneous players, bells and whistles. Their joyous harmonies, heavy, sonic guitars, driving beats and amazing hooks made me take notice. With a 90's Indie Brit sound mixed with a vocal style bringing to mind The Duke Spirit's Leila Moss and Sweden's Love Is All maven Josephine Olausson I was well pleased I came out.
Their self released EP "A Balloon Called Moaning" is also something special musically as well as design-wise, in particular the fold out poster-style digipak with cd holder tab and cd as part of the poster itself. A really creative, and probably pretty inexpensive, way to create a cohesive, good looking package without all the plastic of a regular jewel case.
To find more about The Joy Formidable (and i suggest you do) click here:
The Joy Formidable The Joy Formidable on MySpace
