The Joy Hotel is not so much a band as an experience. The Glasgow 7 piece - Emme, Luke, Juan, Jenny, Scott, Jack & Jack - bring a rolling musical thunder of influences to record and stage that may sound unknown and simultaneously familiar, and impossible to pin down. The call and response vocal exchanges between Luke and Emme and the layered harmonies that evoke Laurel Canyon are at the centre of The Joy Hotel’s sound with a swirl of guitar, keys, singing bass lines and Scotty’s accomplished triangle playing making sure there is something new to discover in every song.
About their vision for The Joy Hotel, singer/guitarist and songwriter Luke Boyce says “‘We want The Joy Hotel to be a multi-genre exploration that draws upon musical traditions and warps them into something new. What began as a creative partnership has grown into a gapless, cinematic experience, all the while following the fundamental principles of good songwriting and story telling.”
And in language born of their east end of Glasgow roots, co-conspirator Emme Woods says “I’d describe us as the quality of a fine wine and the satisfaction of a tequila shot and a ciggy. The everyman's band…”
The Joy Hotel played a triumphant set at Connect Festival in Edinburgh this summer, drawing a crowd that defied the fact that they have yet to release a song and followed that hip with a Glasgow headline show that sold out in 4 minutes. Even the mums couldn’t get in. The buzz is real.
With their debut album recorded and planned for release in Summer 2022, the fickle UK music industry united in their excitement and their shows selling out in minutes, 2023 will be Joyous.
