EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE JOY FORMIDABLE

Q and A with The Joy Formidable ahead of their acoustic North American tour

@jax.lamont

It’s a week before “An Evening With Joy Formidable,” The Joy Formidable’s first North American tour in over two years, begins, and lead vocalist and guitarist Ritzy Bryan is gleaming. “We leave for tour tomorrow, and I am fucking packed! And it’s only 5 o’clock in the afternoon here!” she exclaims.

Ritzy shares that it’s a huge win for someone like her, and we exchange laughs about how both of us are usually up late packing the night before traveling. For their first time back in North America after a break, the band has chosen to do something a bit different, bringing a more intimate and stripped-down vibe to their shows. The Concert Chronicles sat down with Ritzy to talk about their upcoming tour and what’s in store for The Joy Formidable in 2026.

The Concert Chronicles: This is your first North American tour in a couple years. What have you been up to during your break? What has that time off from international touring been like?

Ritzy: Definitely a bit strange because I think we knew we were going to have a bit of a hiatus because both Rhydian [Dafydd Davies] and I wanted to make our own records. But then our drummer left, so the gap away has been a little bit longer than we kind of expected… I kind of think that things just have a way of working out. You know, sometimes shit happens, and you’re like “Oh my gosh, I wasn’t expecting that, and then things have a funny way of just falling into place…maybe better than if you’d have just kept on doing the same thing even though you weren’t expecting it.”

The Concert Chronicles: I saw you announced recently that you got a new drummer. Will they be joining you on tour?

Ritzy: Well, we couldn’t get a visa in time for him, otherwise he would have. [But] Rhydian and I are good. We’ve had visas for lots of years now. And we’ve got some special guests joining us kind of in and out through the tour. Our drummer’s name is Dafyd, he’s from North Wales as well…the hope is he is in the system now, so we’ll just see how long it takes. It’s a shame that he can’t join us, but still excited for this set and still really enjoying this version of the show.

The Concert Chronicles: I read that it was more of a stripped-down set, and I noticed a lot of the shows are at more intimate venues this tour. Can you share about what the vibe will be like and maybe what fans can expect at the shows?

Ritzy: I think because we were aware that we’d been away for a little while — we kind of finished solo records and we started picking up our gear again and playing and trying things out, and we just felt really connected to the tracks in this way, and I don’t know why that is. I think sometimes you kind of feel stirred by, you know, what’s going on around you, what it is that you feel like you want to put out in the world… And there was just something about the rawness and the way that the songs feel, and the lyrics, and everything, you know, just having that space. And then we went and tested it in the UK to see if it was exciting. I think it was something really vulnerable about it, you know, when it is that stripped back, and it is just the two of you. So I think when you have that kind of a set and that kind of an intention, [It’s] just been an opportunity to pick venues that suit that kind of new sonic. And I think it was really important for us as well that some of the venues just are artist-friendly, that they’re cool, that people can have a nice night there, that we’re gonna have a good time, that may be a bit more independent…the value of the whole thing feeling right. That’s the drive behind it.

I think we’re starved of conversation at the moment as well. You know, when you’ve been fucking in the studio for, like, the last 12 months. I felt so locked away; I’ve forgotten how to even converse with people, do you know what I mean? [I’ve just been] in the countryside with my dogs. So I’m really looking forward to having a conversation — that kind of connection is a lot more natural with this sort of a set than a full electric.

The Concert Chronicles: So what are you most looking forward to on this upcoming tour? Are there any cities you’re especially excited to return to, or visit?

Ritzy: I always look forward to the West Coast… I just like the drive, I like the vibes of all the cities — Portland, Seattle, San Fran, they’ve all got their own thing going on, LA, you know, they’ve always been highlights. And then we get to go to Chicago as well… between Lollapalooza and Riot Fest, we’ve had a lot of good memories in Chicago. And then that’s this leg, and we’re done, really then. They’re all, like I said, unique cities. Can I pick a favorite? I don’t know. No, probably not. I do love Portland, though. You guys have got good arcades as well. I always sneak off to the arcade when I’m in Portland, and then I’m really tired the next day.

The Concert Chronicles: It’s also been several years since you’ve released an album as The Joy Formidable. So, what has the band been up to, and can we expect a new album maybe soon?

Ritzy: So yeah, the last album, full-length, was Into the Blue, and then we’ve had a couple of EPs since then. We’ve been really busy on our music club still, so even though the live side has been a kind of quiet, the music club has still been quite vibrant, and that we started in 2019. So, there’s still been recordings. This year, actually, is the 15th anniversary of The Big Roar, which we’ll definitely do something around because I think we missed the 10-year anniversary, because we all forgot. We were like, fuck! It was like 2021, and we were like, oh shit! Totally missed it!

And then, I guess now with the new lineup, and you know, kind of getting back into things together, definitely, yeah, it’d be interesting to see where things go, I suppose. Especially because we’ve both written our own records, I should imagine that we’ve probably got quite a big appetite for writing for The Joy Formidable again now, now that we’ve had a little walk in our own separate parks, so yeah, so there’ll be new music at the end, yeah. Kind of more toward the end of the year.

The Concert Chronicles: And I saw on this tour you’ll be doing some of your Shy Western work as well.

Ritzy: Yeah, just a smattering. We experimented with a few different ways of doing things in the UK and it’s kind of like two sets, so with an interlude in the middle, and Shy Western is in a little bit of the first half, and then a little bit of the second half, same with Rhydian’s solo stuff and then it’s mostly Joy Formidable as well to be honest, but that feels better than fucking supporting ourselves to be honest, which seemed a bit indulgent. But yeah, it’s been a bit of a strange one for me. I don’t know how Rhydian feels about it because my record is not a fucking acoustic record. At one point, I was like, I don’t know if I want to play the songs like this, but I’ve settled into it now. I am feeling it, but it is a little bit different from what I’ve written. I suppose when you’ve done Joy Formidable for a lot of years, maybe you feel that you can kind of shift or change gears or, you know, switch between things. I think when you’ve written a first body of work, if it’s a bit perplexing that that’s maybe the first sharing of it is going to be, like on acoustic guitar when it’s on like a fucking dirty big bass. I’ve enjoyed the challenge, and it’ll be fun…my solo record has a book that comes with it, so I tend to just talk about that more than anything else to be honest.

The Concert Chronicles: Will that be available on tour, too?

Ritzy: Yeah, hopefully. I was really happy and grateful — I sold out at the first edition. I wasn’t expecting it, so then I had to kind of rally around and print more. I got them printed in Vegas, and they said that they couldn’t ship them in time, so I’ve literally had to phone everybody I fucking know in Vegas last night and beg somebody to go and pick them up for me. So, I got a friend of a friend who is gonna get gig tickets for life now or something just so that he can kind of meet our convoy that’s coming in from Utah. So yeah, so hopefully today, if everything aligns, I will have books on tour. It’s been a pain in the ass.

The Concert Chronicles: Anything else you want to add?

Ritzy: Give Mr. [Rhydian Dafydd] Davies a nice plug as well because his record comes out today, actually. His full-length comes out today, and it’s out on vinyl.

An Evening With The Joy Formidable Tour Dates and Tickets:

February 19 Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA

February 20 Fremont Abbey Arts Center, Seattle, WA*SOLD OUT*

February 21 The Old Church, Portland, OR

February 23 Swedish American Hall, San Francisco, CA*SOLD OUT*

February 24 Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles, CA

February 28 Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL

May 10 Vivarium, Milwaukee, WI

May 11 The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids, MI

May 13 Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA

May 14 The Somerville Armory, Somerville, MA

May 16 The Miracle Theatre, Washington DC