After making their Reading and Leeds Main Stage debuts, we caught up with The Joy Formidable to catch about the Pukkelpop tragedy, albums as an art form and their career.
-How was the Reading show?
It was great, man. It's quite sentimental, because we've done Reading and Leeds since we were a baby band. It feels nice to be home. It's been brilliant.
-Did that show ease any nerves ahead of today's set?
A show's a show. In a way, the bigger the better. It's something to embrace and enjoy. You get a tiny bit nervous before every show, but that's because you put pressures on yourself. They're not nerves, at least not quaking pant-filling nerves.
-Have you noticed any difference between the two sites over the times you've played?
I haven't. We've been here a couple of years, and never do. I think this is something that happens at all of our shows. We've got a good, exuberant, loyal crowd. We seem very blessed in that sense. It doesn't matter where we are, we've got people that are there and they enjoy it.
-Do you think touring and live shows are the best ways for a band to get their name out there?
Yeah. Well, it depends if you're any good. It can ruin your career if you play some rubbish shows! You're best just staying in the studio as mysterious recording artiste. Live has been our road, I suppose.
We put a lot of effort into all aspects, but we've certainly done a lot of gigs. You can say that that's been a big part about how the fanbase has grown, but it's not true of all bands.
-How was it stepping up to the opening slot on the Main Stage this year?
It's great. It feels like it's chronicled the band's growth. We did the Festival Republic Stage, BBC Introducing before that, NME Stage last year.
We don't take notice of these things too much, but it's nice to come back to it and feel, more than anything, that it's been a natural growth. That it's not relied on any hype. To do that and see your fan-base growing, you can't help but feel that that's a heart-warming feeling.
-You mentioned BBC Introducing. How much does things like their stage here, and their radio shows, help bands getting noticed?
It's absolutely vital. Yesterday we did a couple of acoustic tracks for them, a sort of secret show, and jumped at the opportunity to do that. It's a huge f****** vehicle. It's great for young bands to come and have their first festival experiences, playing out to people who wouldn't normally hear them.
-For anyone who might've checked you out for the first time this weekend, what can they expect from the record?
It's a dynamic record. We always wanted an album, not a collection of singles. Expect variety, more than anything. There's a lot of soul and passion.
Don't listen to it if you're feeling like a lazy c***, no skim-listening! We definitely wanted to celebrate the album format. That's somethinig that was important to us. It's definitely something we wanted to capture.
-With the trends in music heading towards hit singles, do you think there's still a place for albums as an art form?
Absolutely, man. If you're committed, then I think people take noticed and that's a great way to by-pass all the bulls***, with one hit wonders.
It's not just a career, it's a lifestyle for us. We want to be creative and develop, so that every album is not just a formula, repeating the same thing again.
We've got to be careful we don't, socially, turn into everybody wanting a quick fix and move onto the next one. Nobody invests, nobody loses themselves anymore. It's all very quick, clinical and too easy.
There's a place for that, as long as it doesn't overshadow people getting into music, and taking them somewhere else.
-Do you have any plans for a follow-up?
We're always writing. Lots of threads, lots of ideas. As much as we'll say is that we want a second album out next year. It's important not to feel the pressure.
Too many bands think of the second album as this f******...what direction do we go to? That should be something that's unspoken. It just happens. We just want to evolve very naturally and see where the mood takes us.
-You were set to play Pukkelpop. How did you react to the tragedy?
It was awful, of course. There's been a few too many things like this lately. I hope they get their arses in geer. It's very sad for everybody involved. People died, so that's horrible, and let's f****** hope s*** like this doesn't happen again.
-What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
We're going back to the States. We're really excited about our UK tour in October. That'll be the sort of end of year celebration for us. Then, finish the record off for next year, more touring. We're doing a couple of weeks with the Foo Fighters. Lots of shows!
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
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