If you’re anything like me, records like Possession and How Do You Feel Now? were heavily embedded within your music taste from your early teens into your adulthood. Even if the name Joywave doesn’t sound familiar, it’s likely you’ve had at least one of their songs get stuck in your head over the years with the band having been responsible for iconic hits like Dangerous, It’s A Trip! Joywave consists of Daniel Armbruster on vocals, Joseph Morinelli on guitar, and Paul Brenner on the drums, with all three founding members of the band hailing from Rochester, New York. Being from the east coast city is something they take great pride in, proclaiming it at live shows around the world:

“All the way from Rochester, New York, this is Joywave!”

The trio brought their unique alternative-electric sound back to Madison on Tuesday on their Here to Perform tour, their second run in support of their latest release Permanent Pleasure. Madison was not new territory to the group, having played here many times over the years in support of different records and on different tours. Despite promising to never sell out, their most recent visit prior to Tuesday’s show had been a sold out performance at The Majestic Theatre on their Magnificent Midwest tour last spring, consisting of a whopping total of two shows. This would be their first ever stop in Madison headlining The Sylvee, with a capacity four times the size of The Majestic Theatre.

One of my favorite feelings when attending shows is the excitement radiating from all the fans moments before the show is set to begin. I know the exact feeling of anticipation waiting for your favorite artist to take the stage. I could see it within every fan in the pit on Tuesday night at The Sylvee. Many of them sported Joywave merch ranging from different eras of their music and it was clear to me that no matter their age, each person had grown up with this music in some way.

Custom beaded bracelets adorned the wrists of attendees along the barricade, each one stringing out a song title or lyric. I even spotted a few Joywave tattoos throughout the night. The sense of community was palpable, whether people in the crowd had known each other forever or had just met that day waiting in line for the show.

On the stage was a vibrant neon sign reading Permanent Pleasure, with a platform beneath it draped in burgundy fabric and whatever was on it hidden by a sheet. As Joywave took the stage, cheers and screams erupted from the crowd, hands reaching out toward the stage from the barricade and others jumping with excitement while the band launched into the song Scared, a single from their latest album. The sheet was yanked from the platform to reveal a white cat perched atop the platform bathed in a golden spotlight, the same cat pictured on the cover of their latest album, Permanent Pleasure.

When it came to energy and presence, Joywave certainly knew how to deliver. Each band member was dressed in navy blue pajama-like clothing. Vocalist Daniel Armbruster didn’t hesitate to conquer the stage, marching back and forth around the second the show began accompanied with expressive arm movements. It was almost hard to keep up with him because it was impossible to predict his next move. 

The setlist consisted of a healthy blend of songs from all of their discography, a good representation of their versatility and evolution overtime as a band. One of the highlights of the show for me was when they played Tongues, which is a personal favorite of mine, as well as for many others in the crowd. You could tell by every fan reciting the words by heart, yelling the lyrics “They’re all just speaking tongues” when prompted by Daniel by pointing his microphone toward the crowd. 

Each song that followed was filled with more energy than the last. They kept fans dancing and jumping and even out of breath throughout the majority of the night, and it was easy considering the infectious drums and ground shaking bass that radiated throughout the venue.

Drummer Paul Brenner kept excitement high, being one of the most expressive drummers I’ve seen. His kit was stage left, pushed toward the front which I liked to see as most drummers are often positioned toward the back of the stage and behind everyone else. It was very clear why he was up close and personal, tossing sticks, throwing his head back and forth and sticking his tongue out as he kept the music chugging along with his percussion. Meanwhile Guitarist Joseph Morinelli strutted across the stage into the spaces that weren’t occupied by Daniel’s pacing, flourishing off of the energy from his fellow bandmates.

They closed their set that night with Destruction, a song that charted at number 18 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart at its release back in 2016. It is common for the band to play the song multiple times during one show in lieu of an encore, a tradition they stuck to the last time they came through Madison, stating that they hadn’t “played it well enough.” The song’s studio version comes across as heavy and aggressive, which no doubt translates well into the live version. 

Joywave is set to finish out the rest of their Here to Perform tour over the rest of spring, playing a variety of shows all across the states. If they are coming to a city near you, I would highly recommend it! They, and their adorable stage cat have a way of putting on a performance you won’t forget.