Hitting a city numerous times in one year could deplete a band’s intensity, but The Joy Formidable were relatively no worse from wear at their sold-out Metro show on Wednesday, their fifth time through Chicago this year and their second time at Metro. Their last swing through found them opening for Foo Fighters, playing Lollapalooza and performing a pre-Lolla show all in the span of a few days. And though they played with the same ferocity at Metro as they’ve exhibited in previous performances, the group indicated an eagerness to explore new terrain. “It’s been quite a [expletive] long tour,” remarked bassist Rhydian Dafydd before singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan cut him off to say they would be “working on album number two” after this tour ends.
That’s welcomed news for the band and for early fans as well. While their debut album, “The Big Roar” was released this year, much of their best material on that album was culled from 2009’s “A Balloon Called Moaning” EP. Still, those that had caught prior outings and the uninitiated had little to complain about at Metro. The group’s dynamics matched their setup, where each member of the trio were equally aligned across the stage; drummer Matt Thomas’ pummeling fills, such as during “Cradle,” were as crucial as Dafydd’s thumping lead in to “Austere” and Bryan’s tenacious melodies on “The Greatest Light is The Greatest Shade.”
Their appeal stemmed from that egalitarian chemistry, Bryan’s winsome vocals and their fervent physicality, where they seemed to stop just short of careening out of control, save for a gong that was hit so hard it fell over and a guitar took a beating when tossed around the stage. “Whirring”‘s catchy beginnings and anthemic chorus culminated in an instrumental freakout that had both Dafydd and Bryan on their knees. Bryan rocked her guitar against an amp and messed with pedals adding more feedback and distortion to the blissful squall, before jumping back up to wield her guitar around and high kick a cymbal to Thomas’ relentlessly building rhythms. Their boundless energy should serve them well as they ready their sophomore album.
