Mold is known as two things: 1) a lazy Americanism of an unpleasant fungus and 2) a town in North Wales which so graciously gave us The Joy Formidable.
Combining gutsy guitars, devastatingly charming lead vocals and an aura of being just damned cool, they’ve been showcasing their music far beyond their humble hometown for many years and are one of the most relentless giggers around. In a year in which they were supposed to be taking a break, they’ve organised a singles club, announced a string of dates and even agreed to an interview with me after a little badgering.
After you’ve read our little back and forth with Rhydian and Ritzy of the band, make sure you listen to Whirring and turn it up just a little bit too high. You’ll thank me later.
1. Hey guys, how are you?
Doing good thanks, having a cup of Barry’s in North Wales.
2. Would you say you’re all workaholics? You’ve been touring pretty exhaustively for three years now and don’t show signs of letting up!
No, not workaholics, just into the music, love being on the road. We’re actually in the studio this month making a record.
3. What can you tell us about a new LP? Should we expect ridiculous riffs as per usual?
I’ll show you a ridiculous riff, ya cheeky thing. There’s a lot of songs, that’s for sure, and we love the studio space we’ve made here in North Wales.
4. You recently played a brace of gigs back in Wales. Is it strange that you don’t play all that often in your home country?
We play in Wales as often as we can. I guess our career has taken us all over the place, it’s difficult being consistently present everywhere.
5. Tell us all about Aruthrol.
It’s the name of our singles club that we launched in July. We’re releasing a series of split singles on 7″ vinyl sharing a double A side with a band that we love. We cut the first one with Colorama who are from Anglesey/Liverpool and the next one is out in September with a band called White Noise Sound. Been dabbling in a few Welsh language tracks.
6. What do you think of the current state of the Welsh langauge in the country? Are people still being taught it well enough?
There could always be more Welsh speakers, it’s something that as a country we need to consistently encourage and support. There’s a passion in Wales for the language, if we can keep that in every generation and also champion it outside of Wales, it’s a beautiful, interesting country for people to visit.
7. What’s been your best gig of 2014 so far?
Probably the Cardiff show we played last week. We’d been away from the live side for a few months. Great crowd.
8. Are there any gigs in particular that you can’t wait for that are coming up?
If you’re talking about our own shows, the calendar is empty, we’re going to finish our record and then come & see you.
9. Do you think a lot has changed from the A Balloon Called Moaning EP?
We’re always changing, from a writing point of view, we’re not exactly the same people as we were back then. The spirit of the band hasn’t changed though, got the same energy and rapport. Matt’s probably still wearing the same pants.
10. And finally, who else should we be listening to from North Wales?
There’s lots of good bands coming out of North Wales, here’s a handful; Colorama, We Are Animal, Candelas, Plu and. Catfish and the Bottlemen. Nice chatting , have fun with the tunes. X
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