Photos and recap by Scott Sheff

It was a night to celebrate with the Welsh trio The Joy Formidable. It was bassist Rhydian Dafydd’s birthday, which included an obligatory shot and a few balloons to commemorate the anniversary. Drummer Matt Thomas spent the day at the dentist, his first visit in 18 years. And, oh yeah, the band kicked off its North American tour in support of their third studio album Hitch, just days after its release.

The alt-rockers and their witty personalities kicked off their two-night run at The Roxy in splendor by treating fans to an evening of all-out rockin’, accompanied by a few ditties showing off the softer side of the band and the tenderness of lead singer/guitarist’s Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan’s vocals. The band tossed aside its “planned” 10-song set for an hour and half long show which included a stripped-down, unplugged acoustic number amid the fans that required silence to appreciate the song’s serenity. After a night of tunes new and old, the band ended on a high-note with an extended jam of the uplifting “Whirring” to send fans off with a smile.

Manchester’s Everything Everything was support and featured songs off their third album Get To Heaven, with the falsetto range of Jonathan Higgs