Way back in November, we had tickets to see The Joy Formidable, about which I was super excited. Then the week turned into a really effed up, stressful, depressing mess, and we completely forgot to go. Like... we just flat out forgot. It was on the calendar and everything, but we were so busy wallowing that I do believe we just spent that evening snuggling and eating, as is our way. So, when I heard they were going to be at The Observatory I was so pleased that we would finally be able to make up for that error. Even better, they have released a new album since then, so I bet this show was way more exciting than the one we missed! *sour grapes/silver linings*
The first thing we need to report is that it appears that The Observatory is remodeling the balcony where they serve dinner. If you call or go online ahead of time, you can reserve a table and that way you are able to have a seat for the show. We always go for this option because we're old and the standing room there isn't great. Also, their burgers are stellar. Another upside is that there's a private, very clean bathroom up there, which may sound silly but means a lot to me. The past few times we have gone, we noticed that there was a lot of room for improvement up there: the stairs and the edges of the front of the balcony are unfinished, the tables seem to just be plywood, the floor is a bit uneven. This time, they seated us downstairs near the railings because they were doing some more construction up there, which is good news for the future, but was kind of crappy for this show. It was hard to see because there were people standing in front of us on the same level. Most of the people who went to the effort and expense to reserve tables ended up standing the entire show. Kind of a bummer. At one point a couple of young girls went to sit in the booth on the level below us, and when one of them attempted to sit on the back edge of the seat so that she would be directly in front of me I just glared at her and shook my head. She slunk back down, quite chastened. I was simultaneously proud for standing up for myself and kind of ashamed for being "that" lady.
The opener was perfectly passable but nothing really all too exciting. Comprised of five squirrelly little guys, the lead singer was quite mumble mouthed so we spent a good portion of their set debating what he said their name was: Fartilene, Fart in a Mitten, Fleur de Lis, Far Lean, Fort Wayne, Furtively. This was their first show in California, and their lack of stage presence made me wonder if they had played many shows at all. They kept (sarcastically?) saying how nice we were when the crowd politely clapped after each song, and asked if everyone is like that in California. At the end we expected them to say their name again, but no - they just finished and shambled quietly offstage. B was sure it was Olean, so I made him go to the merch table to find out. Supposedly, their name was actually Fort Lean, but Brandon is pretty sure their printer just couldn't understand them and went with that. "Either way, I don't give a poop," he claimed.
On to the show! The Joy Formidable is a band from Wales, so of course my attraction comes partly from the adorable accent of the icy blond pixie of a lead singer (named Ritzy... come ON). I had a feeling they would be a "jump around nonstop and have a damn good time" type of band, and they sure were. They make a LOT of noise for just three people. Before they even came onstage, I was delighted by the giant wolf head cutout on the stage, clearly in honor of their new album, Wolf's Law.
Look, it may seem superficial, but I really appreciate a bit of stagecraft. It doesn't have to be crazy or dramatic, but do a lil something with your set and it buys you a ton of goodwill with me. I whispered to Brandon that I hoped it would howl or something, and he stoically said they are probably just going to project something onto it. We were both right! As soon as the lights went down, the theater was filled with wild wolf howls and the edges of the cutout started to sparkle. I was thrilled! For the entirety of the show, they projected images or abstract designs on the entire white background. Very fun. We both really enjoyed the odd stage setup as well, with the drummer sideways on the right (we were seated to the left of the stage, so we had a great view of him) and he had a GIANT gong behind him. Although that didn't really seem to come into play till the last song, it was a very cool visual. In fact, we were really impressed with all of the visuals, including the lighting, but they did rely a bit too heavily on the strobe. That would probably be our only complaint.
The set list was great and they put an even more raucous, crazed spin on their already hyper songs. However, the standout for us was the beautiful, acoustic Silent Treatment. We were more than a little peeved at the loud people in the bar area completely disregarding the song at first, but they quickly realized that something pretty magical was happening onstage and they settled down. The show ended with my very favorite song of theirs, Whirring, which they turned into an extended eardrum blasting explosion of pure joy. You could say it was quite formidable. ;o)
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