The Joy Formidable’s playlist

The Joy Formidable has come out to play.

The Welsh threesome spent the better part of the past year under house arrest in their North Wales recording studio where they’ve been slaving over their new album Hitch.

Now that the album is released, they’ve broke free for an international tour and they’re fired up about the outing.

“We love and thrive from being on the road,” says frontgirl Ritzy Bryan. “Playing live is a crucial and enjoyable part of being in this band.”

The Joy got their act together in 2007 and four years later their debut album The Big Roar was ready.

Hitch comes in at no.3 in their repertoire and is the follow up to 2013’s Wolf’s Law which was made while touring the world in support of The Big Roar.

“We haven’t had any shortcuts to where we are now,” Ritzy says looking back on the past few years. “We totally clawed our own way into the industry.”

The trio’s success has sent them around the world a number of times and their live shows are in demand.

“It’s very special when people in different countries have connected with your record so much that they’ve come out to see you perform live. Touring is a very hard, but very privileged position,” she says.

With that opportunity comes a grand responsibility, and Ritzy and her bandmates Matthew James Thomas and Rhydian Dafydd take it seriously.

“Playing live isn’t just like playing a video game or watching television. This is a two way thing. We want to awaken something in the audience. We want our fans to feed off what we’re giving them, because when we’re up there, we’re committed and happy to be there.”

Ritzy made a playlist of artists who bring her formidable joy.

Alison – Elvis Costello

“I’m a massive Elvis Costello fan. My Aim is True is a great record. ‘Alison’ is on that one.”

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Race for the Prize – The Flaming Lips

“I saw them play a few times and I just love them.”

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Rave On – Buddy Holly

“I like getting into gold old 50s rock and roll. ‘Rave On’ is a classic.”

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Moondance – Van Morrison

“I listen to a lot of Van Morrison, especially when we’re on tour.”

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Army of Me – Bjork

“I’ve never made a mixtape or playlist that doesn’t have Bjork on it, so I’m not going to change that habit.”

The Joy Formidable’s new album Hitch is available on iTunes now.

The band plays Montreal’s Metropolis on Saturday, October 8. See complete tour dates here. For updates, connect with The Joy Formidable on facebook and twitter.

Posted by Marc Andrew on Jul 25 2016. Filed under Celebrity Playlist. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.