The Joy Formidable recently graced the stage at The Miracle Theater in DC for a special evening of music and stories. The theater is small and is just the right venue for a show like this. The seating capacity is limited to 371 people. But this show was even more intimate as the balcony was closed. It was about as close to a private concert as you’re going to get while still paying standard ticket price!
Watch the official music video for “Sevier” by The Joy Formidable on YouTube:
The show was billed as An Evening With The Joy Formidable so there was no opening act on May 16. The band was travelling light as they didn’t have a drummer. It wasn’t an acoustic show, though. Singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan played her electric guitar for most of the evening while Rhydian Dafydd played an acoustic guitar and keyboards. It also meant that the band was free to tell stories between songs and not worry about the time.
The mood was set by dim lighting and trios of candles placed in various areas around the stage. Ritzy and Rhydian emerged on stage and sat down at either side of the stage. They welcomed everyone and explained how the show was going to be a little different from other The Joy Formidable shows. They would play seven songs, take a short break, then return with their friend, Byron Owens accompanying them.
The evening kicked off with “The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie” from their 2011 debut album, The Big Roar. In fact, much of the set came from that album. A few songs in they played their song “Austere.” It’s one of their earliest songs and, according to the band, has been played at every show they’ve ever done. Ritzy said that she can still feel the claustrophobia of that time period every time they play the song. The band was together all the time, traveling in little vans, playing and writing music.
The Joy Formidable is from Northern Wales and near the end of the first set they play “Yn Rhydiau’r Afon,” the only Welsh song in the set. The song title translates to “In The Fords of a River.” For some reason, I love songs sung in foreign languages. It was one of several highlights during the show.
Ritzy mentioned how much she likes shows like this because the audience (as well as she) can actually hear the lyrics of every song. They wrapped up the first half with a song from her solo project, Shy Western. The album is combined with a book she wrote, and it is called Hugger. Ritzy explained it’s because that’s what she is…a hugger. At that point Rhydian chimed in about Ritzy’s propensity to find stray animals and rescue them, even on tour. She had found a cat the previous night after arriving in DC. They took care of it and named it Arno. They brought him to a shelter, mentioned the band, and the cat was christened Arno The Formidable.
After a 10-minute break, Ritzy and Rhydian returned and actually did go completely acoustic. Ritzy grabbed her acoustic and Rhydian had a mandolin. They both sat on the edge of the stage and played with no amplification and played “Maw Maw Song” from their second album, Wolf’s Law.
They plugged back in for the next song, “Little Blimp.” Unfortunately, Ritzy’s coughing forced a restart, which they joked about for a while. Ritzy went on an extended discussion about mucus with the audience and this year has now been anointed The Summer of Mucus.
Byron Owens came out to assist on shakers for a few tracks, But before playing Rhydian Dafydd’s solo track called “Make The Sign,” they did their “dirty merch plug” so they could offset the price of shipping his pedalboard for the tour.
Then The Joy Formidable got to “Whirring.” That’s when Byron sat behind a saw. Yes, a saw. “Whirring” is a very energetic, loud song. The new arrangement gave it a beauty that could only appear in a show like this.
The only cover song of the evening was up next. It was their version of “Strangers” by The Kinks. It was really cool to hear the spin they put on it. Before they started playing, Byron said he thought the saw was playing sharp. That guy’s got jokes.
The Joy Formidable wrapped up the show with “Wolf’s Law.” They had to do another restart but this time it was Rhydian’s fault because he played the wrong chords. He blamed it on mucus.
Then, suddenly, the second set was over. It was a great show and not exactly what you’d expect from a show billed as “An Evening With…”. I went in expecting a completely acoustic set. What I got was a musically stripped down show with all the energy from a standard show. Contrary to Track 3 on The Big Roar, you DO want to see them like this.
Setlist
Set One
- The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie
- The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade
- Austere
- Ostrich
- Into The Blue
- Yn Rhydiau’r Afon
- Hugger (Shy Western)
Intermission
Set Two
- Maw Maw Song
- Little Blimp
- The Leopard And The Lung
- Make The Sign (Rhydian Dafydd)
- Whirring
- Strangers (The Kinks)
- Cradle
- Wolf’s Law
Here are some more photos of The Joy Formidable performing live at The Miracle Theater in DC on May 16, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Marc Shea.
