Sophie Stratford talks to Ritzy Bryan, lead vocalist and guitarist for The Joy Formidable, about album number 2 and their up and coming UK tour.

Originally from Wales, the band moved to London playing under the name Sidecar Kisses. A bassist and a drummer later, they renamed themselves to The Joy Formidable and the journey began. This year they have self produced a debut album titled The Big Roar which has heads turning on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Joy Formidable play at The Riverside in Newcastle on 20th October.

Are you excited for your up and coming UK headline tour?

I’m very excited, I think we’ve done a lot of festivals and we’ve been out in the States for a couple of months so we’re really looking forward to going back and doing a UK tour. It’s going to be the last tour of the UK for this year and a final celebration of our debut album The Big Roar. And we’ll be back next year with a new album, and were just really looking forward to celebrating the end of the year. We’ve also got a great fan base that has been with us from the very beginning, they’re very loyal and it’s always a pleasure to see them. We’re going to make it a really special tour.

Have you got any special live tricks in the bag to get the crowds dancing?

Well, I think we’ve got a very solid approach to just stepping out on the stage every night and just being completely committed. I think when you get up there you have to play every show like it’s your last. We love what we do and the songs have a lot of meaning to them and there’s a lot of truth in what we do - That’s why every night is different as there is quite a lot of natural emotion in the experience. We will keep it very truthful, real with no gimmicks.

What’s your opinion on the city of Newcastle, have you had time to explore it?

We love Newcastle. We always get a great crowd in the city. We’ve been to Newcastle a few times before and it’s always a show we look forward to playing.

Best thing about playing to a live audience?

I think it’s how it is so variable and every night can be very different. When you get up there you’re not quite sure what’s going to happen and there probably is a small bit of danger hiding in us where you get a thrill out of that sense of unknown. And how things can change over the hour and a half that we’re on stage; I think that is where the excitement really comes from. Playing a different show every night is what keeps us alive and I think that resonates in the audience that come to see us and probably why we get quite a few fans coming to every show!

How did it feel to play the main stage at Leeds & Reading this year?

It was really special. Reading & Leeds is quite a nostalgic festival for us because from being a very small band it was one of the first festivals we played on the BBC Introducing stage. And every year since then we have been invited back and it’s amazing how we have grown. It was really heart-warming and exciting. I liked our early ‘wake up’ slot, trying to cheer everyone up and cure their hangovers.

What do you want people to gain out of listening to your music?

As long as they are moved or awakened in some way – you don’t just want to be background music or just something that just sits nicely in the middle where it’s bland. If our music speaks to people that’s the power that you can’t always articulate.

Have you had any ideas for album no.2?

Yes, almost too many. We’ve got lots of chaotic threads at the moment, we have been writing obsessively. We’ve got that many options for it. We’re experimenting a lot and being very free with the writing – just having a really good mess about. In December I think we’ll have a bit of time to make sense of all of our ideas. We definitely want a new album next year.

How do you think your music has developed since you started writing?

It’s something that is very hard to pin point. It’s a very unconscious process. There will always be elements of the old record in our work, but I can see our new work going off in lots of different directions.

Where do The Joy Formidable go from here. What have you got lined up for the rest of the year and 2012?

Lots of touring! We’re also on tour with Foo Fighters in November and we’re back in the America in December. And next year it’s all going to be about the new record and probably lots of touring again. We’re not the sort of band that has limits on releasing so I’m not quite sure what we will put out next but I think obviously we’re working towards a body of material so we will just wait and see. Always thinking, always writing.