Throughout all 3 days of Riot Fest 2022, the near 100-artists deep lineup featured plenty of guitar music. From the wholesome to the chaotic, there was something for everyone. But not many of those artists had the diversity, endearment, and chemistry of The Joy Formidable. Somewhere between Metric and Ride, this Welsh 3-piece played one of the most satisfying (and one of my personal favorite) sets of the entire weekend!
A couple of hours after their set on Day 2, I met up with The Joy Formidable in the press area. Made up of Ritzy Bryan on vocals and guitar, Rhydian Dafydd on bass and vocals, and drummer Matthew James Thomas. The band was full of energy as if they hadn’t just played their hearts out on of the festival’s mainstages. Cracking open a few beers (and a Red Bull for me) we stood together near the bar to have a post-show chat.
Coop: With genres blending into one another, it’s hard to define what rock music is in a traditional sense. Especially when it seems like the guitar has become a dirty word, as a guitar band, what are your thoughts on that?
Rhydian Dafydd: Ooh that’s a really good question!
Ritzy Bryan: I don’t know, I really don’t think that’s true. I think maybe that’s part of a discourse some people are having about creating art and what it means as an instrument.
Matthew James Thomas: IT’S GUITAR WASHING! (laughs)
Rhydian: Yes! We’re coining that! Write that down! (laughs)
Ritzy: In all seriousness, I don’t think it’s true at all because it’s like even the stuff that’s set up to not having a traditional guitar, it still has a guitar in it! (laughs). It’s such a beautiful thing because it truly is such a versatile instrument. And there’s still so much originality to be gleaned from it.
Coop: I agree. I think a lot of younger artists are trying to tear down the hierarchy of what it means to be a rock star or whatever. Which is good, but I hate seeing something so important to music being stripped away.
Ritzy: Yeah, I think it’s all part of a stupid machine. Like PR trying to find a place to market and elevate something else. And it’s f****ing rubbish, you know what I mean?
Rhydian: It’s like a fashion machine. It’s what powers-that-be and the gatekeepers like to do right? It’s what they do with fashion, it’s what they do with markets. They say ‘hey this isn’t relevant anymore, go here, go there‘ or whatever. And I think as a musician you have to kind of switch yourself off from that and do what’s authentic to you.
Coop: Right. I could see how subscribing to that train of thought is a trap. You’re just setting yourself up for failure.
Rhydian: Yeah and you know, there’s always great stuff being created no matter what kind of f****ing instrument you’re playing it on!
Ritzy: I’m really glad that you brought that up because I definitely think it’s something that needs to be pushed back against. A few years ago, we released a single and it definitely had quite a few guitars in it. I remember it was the first time I ever had the radio people asking us for edits where the guitars would be turned down!
Coop: Oh great. I imagine that went over well.
Ritzy: When you say that to me, it makes me want to send it back with the guitars turned way up. And that’s just what we did! I just think when things get that involved and when radio people start trying to mess with your authentic sound, things have gone very wrong.
Coop: Yeah, especially when their job is the play the songs, not question their production.
Ritzy: I mean, it’s different if you’re working with a radio edit. You kinda get it. Radio is a little part of your thing. But when they start trying to f*** with your production, you kind of have to step back and remind them how the artist is the one with the power.
Matthew: You see what we do now is tell them it’s all synth guitar and they can’t tell the difference! You know what I’m saying? (laughs)
Coop: There you go! The new Joy Formidable album is all keytars. But then you’d have to buy an actual keytar.
Rhydian: Oh that’s right!
Matthew: I nearly bought a keytar the other day!
Rhydian: Yeah there’s nothing wrong with a keytar, but that’s the point!
Ritzy: Yes! If you want to buy a keytar, do it! But when someone tells you that you have to make a record using just keytar, then you’ve f***ing have a problem! (laughs)
Matthew: No one is gonna have to tell me that I have to make a record on a keytar! I’ve already got it all planned out! (laughs)
Coop: When you’re working on new music, be it writing, demoing, or whatever, do you try to use a particular instrument? How does that work?
Ritzy: It really changes, you know? There have been certain songs we’ve written that sort of lend themselves to acoustic guitar. Especially during the Wolf’s Law album. It was a nice way of exploring where we wanted to go. But sometimes tracks start out with just like a drum beat. Whatever it is, I think it’s nice to be dynamic when putting songs together.
Coop: Right! Hey, maybe one day, a song will start with that keytar!?
Mattew: Absolutely!
Rhydian: I think it’s good to challenge yourself as a writer though. Kind of put yourself in different contexts and see what happens. Just keeping yourself on your toes, you know what I mean?
Coop: On the topic of exploring different sounds and effects. What kind of effects pedals are you using out there on your live rigs?
Matthew: Well…it’s all a backing track. We played it on a keytar actually… (laughs)
Coop: I think that’s what I’m gonna title this interview. The Joy Formidable vs Keytar!
Ritzy: (laughs) oh my God!
Rhydian: Well in this day and age, there is so much amazing stuff between analog and digital. The Line 6 Helix for example. We tour with that. Being a 3-piece where you have to do multiple, big changes between things, being able to implement that has been handy.
Ritzy: I just recently moved to one of Line 6 Helixes. I’ve had a lot of analog boards over the years as well, but this is a big tour we’re on. And when you have a pedal board that’s bigger than me…
Matthew: You have to run a mile to press the distortion button.
Rhydian: And you gotta be like Michael Flatley just to get to the chorus! (laughs)
Coop: I’m a guitarist myself, and when I was younger I had so many pedals thinking it was going to make me a better musician. Sadly, I found myself turning more knobs than playing notes.
Rhydian: That’s an interesting point. I kinda feel like how you sort of manage that. For instance, nothing beats a valve amp, right? But getting that to work with multiple chains on different levels can be a tricky thing. But I guess it’s sort of a creative thing too. So yeah, we’re using the Helix quite a bit now but we’re always open to new things.
Ritzy: And so much of the digital stuff has gotten so good as of late too. It’s nice to have kind of both worlds. But when you’re on the road and you see some f***er kinda throwing your pedal board on the plane? You just start screaming Nooo!
Matthew: Yeah, some of these airports, man. They see a case and say “ooh this looks expensive, let’s smash it and see if we can break it!”
Coop: Speaking of effects, a lot of people tend to label your music as shoegaze. As a band far more sonically diverse than that particular subgenre, is that something you’re cool with?
Ritzy: I just like for people to have a connection with it, you know? I think our music sort of crosses over into all sorts of different sonic paths. Like, every album has had sort of its own vibe and own chapter of a story we wanted to tell. But yeah shoegaze is certainly one of my favorites so I think that’s alright!
Coop: Alright! I want to thank you for your time today and your set was amazing!
Ritzy: Aww thank you! It was fun and you were very thoughtful! We appreciate that!
Coop: Would you mind if I could get a picture with you guys for the article?
Ritzy: Sure! Of course!
Coop: Something fun?
For more information on The Joy Formidable, please visit thejoyformidable.com
For more Riot Fest coverage, please click HERE