By Robert Duguay

Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan on solo detours, storytelling onstage, and reigniting the band’s spark ahead of a Boston return.

After it has been around for well over a decade, a band often beings to cultivate it talents, its discography nurtured in new directions. Beyond the typical singles, EPs, and full-lengths, side projects often bear fruit, members of the core group exploring different tastes and aesthetics. The Welsh alt-rock act The Joy Formidable is a good example of this expansion. Along with a prolific body of work spanning six albums, the core duo of lead vocalist and guitarist Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd are also actively pursuing solo endeavors—the former under the name Shy Western and the latter under his own name.

On May 14 at The Center for Arts at the Armory material from both of these projects, alongside music from The Joy Formidable catalog, will be on tap, beginning at 8 p.m.

Bryan and I spoke ahead of the show about how this type of performance came about, what makes performing in Boston distinctive, and what lies ahead for the band.

The Joy Formidable — Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd. Photo: courtesy of the artist

The Arts Fuse: Who came up with this idea — where you combine performing music from the band as well as your personal projects?

Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan: It’s similar to killing two birds with one stone (laughs). We had a lot going on, and combining everything made a lot of sense. We’ve both released solo records over the last eight months or so, so it’s exciting to go out and play some of that material. At the same time, we’re aware that we’ve had an almost two-year hiatus from touring with The Joy Formidable, which we’ve really missed.

The idea of coming back, playing things a little more stripped down, and incorporating more of a storytelling element made performing again enticing — reconnecting with people. In a way, there’s also a personal side to what we are doing; we wanted something that linked with community, which is what we need at the moment. Essentially, we have so many plans and so many things coming up that it makes sense to bring everything together in a way that feels fulfilling.

AF: Talk about Shy Western. What does it do for you, as a musician. that sets it apart from what you do with The Joy Formidable?

The cover art for Shy Western’s Hugger.

RRB: For me to feel excited about a solo project, I have to understand the kind of record I want to make. Hugger was very conceptual, and it felt somewhat outside of me as well, because the album is part of a book, and the two are closely connected. Each chapter has a song that complements it, along with a story. In that way, it fulfilled a more literary side of me that I’ve wanted to explore more over the years.

I’ve always had a close relationship with words and lyrics, so writing something longer has been a real passion project—especially pairing it with music to create a conceptual thread throughout. A lot of the songs are rooted in a nature-based science paper, which might sound a bit dry, but I’m drawn to those beautiful, evocative discoveries in nature that feel like metaphors for something larger.

I enjoy the challenge of translating those kinds of perceptions into songs. It’s very different from The Joy Formidable in that there’s a much stronger emphasis on writing.

AF: So it worked out well.

RRB: I really loved it. I had such a happy eight months just sitting down and working on lyrics for a different kind of storytelling. The Joy Formidable has often been quite autobiographical—it’s felt like a thread running through my own experiences—whereas this project exists outside of that, which I’ve really enjoyed exploring.

AF: Ever since the ’60s, British and American music have had a unique relationship. There are bands across the Atlantic that are much more popular in their home country than in the U.S.. The Boston area has often been an outlier — it has been especially welcoming to British bands looking to make their mark in the United States. When it comes to performing here, what are your thoughts?

RRB: It’s very hard to gauge from these cyclical visits. The first time we played Boston, it felt like a tough crowd in some ways, but then we realized they were actually very focused on listening. It’s a different kind of appreciation—one that leans more toward attentive listening and a particular kind of aural experience.

Sometimes it can be difficult to read the response, but then you realize people are really engaged—it’s just more subtle. Those were our early experiences, but we’ve also seen listeners completely flipped at other shows, so it’s hard to generalize. Every time I’ve visited Boston and met artists from there, it seems like a place with a deep appreciation for music and a lot of great venues with distinct scenes.

It’s somewhere we’ve always felt fortunate to play, because I love that depth of connection when we perform there.

AF: It’s been a few years since The Joy Formidable released their latest full-length, Into the Blue. Looking ahead, are there plans for new recordings—singles or another album?

RRB: I’m really excited about this next chapter. We’ve had a lineup change with a new drummer, which has generated a lot of energy, a need to got back out there and tour. It also comes at a time when our first record, The Big Roar, is about to turn 15. But we don’t want any upcoming performances to just by a nostalgic exercise.

It feels like there’s a new ember starting to burn in the band. We have a lot of tracks underway for a new record, and we’re interested in reflecting on our history while still moving forward. Of course, we love that first album—it opened the door for us to tour extensively in the States—but we want to reimagine it in a way that feels connected to where we are now.

The plan is to do a lot of touring and make up for lost time.

Rob Duguay is an arts & entertainment journalist based in Providence who is originally from Shelton, CT. Outside of The Arts Fuse, he has also written for DigBoston, Aquarian Weekly, Providence Journal, Newport Daily News, Worcester Magazine, New Noise Magazine, Manchester Ink Link, and numerous other publications. While covering mostly music, he has also written about film, TV, comedy, theater, visual art, food, drink, sports, and cannabis.