On my way out of the Fleet Foxes show at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Tuesday night, I noticed a pile of earplugs, presumably for the patrons concerned about that show’s volume. While earplugs weren’t really needed for their harmony-rich indie folk, I’m certainly glad I grabbed some, because my next stop was SOhO Restaurant & Music Club for The Joy Formidable.

The Joy Formidable came together a few years ago in the North Wales town Yr Wyddgrug. (As a hint for how to pronounce this, I recall from my junior year in Wales that “dd” is pronounced “th”; if you prefer, the English name of the town is Mold.) The band still has founding members and childhood friends Ritzy Bryan (vocals and guitar) and Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar), who are now joined by Matt Thomas (drums).

After some singles and an EP, things really gelled for the band with its 2011 debut album The Big Roar, which provided seven of the eight songs played (at high volume) at SOhO. The band’s sound is dominated by Bryan’s piercing vocals and her super distorted guitar, the latter helped by a formidable set of effects pedals. And as a spunky, pint-sized platinum blonde with expressive eyes ripping it up on guitar, Bryan also dominates one’s attention with her stage presence.

The highlight of the concert was certainly the hit “Whirring” — think “All these things about me you never can tell” — which I don’t get tired of hearing despite its heavy rotation on KJEE. As the last song of the show, the band really jammed this one out, including Bryan shaking her guitar in front of the amp as a sacrifice to the feedback gods and her “playing” her effects pedals.

Another stand-out song was the power pop gem, “Cradle,” but really there wasn’t a dull song in the 45-minute set.

The band seemed to be enjoying its visit to Santa Barbara, promising that they’d be back soon. Catch them when they do — just don’t forget your earplugs.

Setlist
A Heavy Abacus
Greyhounds In The Slips
Austere
Ostrich
The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade
Cradle
Buoy
Whirring

— Noozhawk contributing writer Jeff Moehlis is a professor of mechanical engineering at UCSB. Upcoming show recommendations, advice from musicians, interviews and more are available on his Web site, music-illuminati.com.