The Joy Formidable
Miracle Theatre, Washington DC, May 16, 2026
(Rescheduled from March)
The two principals of the Welsh indie band
The Joy Formidable, Rhiannon (Ritzy) Bryan and Rhydian Dafydd, have been pretty quiet for some years. They were really busy during the Obama administration (I saw them
two times in 2012-2013) and immediately afterward, when their full-length 2011 debut
The Big Roar was one of those rare, stomping rock albums of the 21st century that will absolutely hold up for listens well into the future. I loved that record unreservedly, and really liked 2013’s
Wolf’s Law too, but they really seemed to skid a bit with
AAARTH, their 2018 record, a challenging Welsh shoegaze-prog-thing that was decidedly short on hooks.
So I haven’t
seen them in some years, but I love those early albums, and I’ve enjoyed some of their online releases, including Welsh-language versions of the early singles like “
Chwyrlio,” the Welsh version of
A Balloon Called Moaning and
The Big Roar’s “Whirring” — the band has really leaned into its Welsh heritage.
This was a duo show in large part: Bryan and Dafydd playing acoustic and electric guitar over some prerecorded backing tracks. The band joked about the need to recruit a new drummer, “preferably one without a crim record,” according to Ritzy, but the songs held up very well in the format, which helped showcase Ritzy’s vocals and the band’s lyrics.
Their set opened with "The Everychanging Spectrum of a Lie” and “The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade,” two of the massive slow-burning ragers from
The Big Roar. When I saw The Joy Formidable at their shows in the Obama administration, a lifetime ago, these shows were arena-scaled, lighting up the proverbial skyline like fireworks. They were not at this point a band that knew how to moderate its power or energy; everything was full throttle and heavily amplified. Since then, they've gotten older and they've also gotten better at modulating their sound.
There was still abundant energy and drive in the performance, mostly from the prerecorded beats and loops. But unlike the previous sets I’ve seen from The Joy Formidable, which were stomping arena-scale alternative rock of a sort not widely seen since the heyday of Smashing Pumpkins, this was a more contemplative affair.
The Miracle Theatre is blessedly a seated venue, as I had been very underslept and dealing with some medical issues. But despite the seated venue and the quieter setting, the show built a good sense of energy and momentum. But there was a casual sensibility of a couple bantering jokingly on stage, which led to several extended digressions and chatter amongst the band members, including a lengthy discussion about rescuing a cat the prior night, and Bryan’s apparent magnetic attraction for animals in need of rescue. (I saw their Instagram post; it is truly a really awesome looking cat whose name is Arno. I hope he finds a good home soon.)
In addition to Joy Formidable material, both Bryan and Dafydd have been doing their own solo work. Bryan did “Hugger,” the title track from a solo record, and Dafydd did “Make the Sign,” from one of his own records. One thing this set specifically did was showcase him as a composer and singer; in the electric band settings his prominence tends to fade behind Bryan as the frontwoman, but the work holds up well in the tradition of outer-British Isles songwriters like Glen Hansard, Gruff Rhys, and Damien Rice. He’s a fluid guitarist and a soulful lead singer as well.
The opening set from Bryan and Dafydd ended with a song I didn’t know, from
Into the Blue, the 2022 record that kinda escaped me following their weird detour with
AAARTH. With Dafydd on keyboards, they did “Interval,” a song that maybe foreshadowed the breakup of their band and departure of their drummer Matt Thomas, and the retreat from touring and albums that followed. I don’t really know
Into the Blue but based on “Interval” and the title track, I should acquaint myself.
In the second set, Dafydd and Bryan were joined by a Utahn (but with Welsh ancestry!), Byron Owens, who contributed a hodgepodge of percussion and sound effects, including playing the musical saw and singing harmonies.
Surprisingly, they did
Wolf’s Law’s “Maw Maw Song,” which I always found grating and clangorous, on the floor of the stage, purely acoustic and singing unamplified in campfire style with mandolin and acoustic guitar and tambourine. And you know, now I appreciate that song a lot more. Also from
Wolf’s Law, “Little Blimp” was regrettably interrupted by Bryan’s coughing fit and a lengthy discussion of bodily fluids. They were never going to skip “Whirring,” their most popular song, or among their earliest hits, “Cradle,” in the set. But along with “The Leopard and the Lung,” the highlight of the second set was a surprisingly moving cover of the Kinks’ “Strangers,” from
Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Pt. 1. I like the Kinks a lot — but I don’t listen to
Lola often. So I had a moment of confusion, with the clear sense that I knew this song, before Dave Davies’ sweetly empathetic chorus answered the question.
T-shirts on display:
Bloc Party
Peter Hook and the Light
TJF x many, including some in Welsh
The Refused
Vampire Weekend
The Killers
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2026 06:27AM by zwirnm.
