Formosa (band)
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Formosa is a German
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
band, formed in 2015.


History


Foundation

The bandmembers Nik Bird (vocals, bass), Nik Beer (electric guitar) and Paris Jay (drums) have known each other since they were in kindergarten and grew up in the direct neighborhood in
Wahlwies Stockach () is a town in the Konstanz (district), district of Konstanz, in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Location It is situated in the Hegau region, about 5 km northwest of Lake Constance, 13 km north of Radolfzell and 25  ...
next to the
Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...
. They have been performing and writing songs together since they were teenagers. At the end of 2014 they moved together to the
Ruhr area The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
to start Formosa as a
power trio A power trio is a rock band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit, leaving out a dedicated vocalist or an additional rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...
in 2015.


''Tight & Sexy'' (2015–2016)

In 2015, the band members began working on their first album and released ''Tight & Sexy'' on 13 May 2016 through the record label Sweepland Records. A Germany-wide album tour and numerous other concerts in well-known scene clubs followed.


''Sorry for Being Sexy'' (2017–2018)

Already in the summer of 2017 Formosa began recording their second studio album ''Sorry for Being Sexy''. They played as an opening band for Battle Beast and Ignite, and in the fall they went on their first international headlining tour through the
Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
. March 2018, the album ''Sorry for Being Sexy'' was released via Sweepland Records. This was followed by an extensive European tour through a total of 13 countries with over 70 concerts. ''Sorry for Being Sexy'' landed at No. 9 on the official German metal rock charts. Formosa played over 140 concert across Europe in 2017–2018 sharing the stage with bands such as
Thundermother Thundermother is an all-female Swedish hard rock band founded by Filippa Nässil and Moa Munoz in Växjö 2009. The band has toured with Scorpions across Europe and North America, played with Kiss, Danish rock band D-A-D and Swedish rock band ...
, The New Roses and
Bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...
. On 6 January 2017, singer Nik Bird dislocated his arm in a stage accident. He nevertheless played the concert to the end and then got into the already waiting ambulance. Andy Brings, who was present at the concert, commented on the accident and Nik Bird's fearless continuation of playing as "a great hour for
rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
".


''Danger Zone'' (2019–2021)

In early 2019, Formosa recorded their third album ''Danger Zone'' in
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
. As producers, the band hired Martin Furia (eg.
Destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kin ...
and Nervosa). After the recording sessions Formosa went on a support tour with
Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...
. In the summer of 2019 various well-known music festivals followed including a performance during the
Reeperbahn The Reeperbahn () is a street and entertainment district in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's nightlife (the other being Sternschanze) and also the city's major red-light district. In German, it is also n ...
Festival in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, Germany. In 2019, Formosa parted ways with their music label Sweepland Records and signed a label deal with Metalville. On 13 March 2020, Formosa released their third album ''Danger Zone'' – simultaneously, however, on the same day, the ongoing tour with
Audrey Horne Audrey Horne is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Twin Peaks'', played by Sherilyn Fenn. The character was created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. She was introduced in the pilot. The daughter of Ben and Sylvia Horne, siste ...
was canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


''Bones EP'' (2022)

In 2022, Formosa released several singles, which together appeared on the Bones EP. On the song Her Mama, guitarist Ande Braun from
Kissin' Dynamite Kissin' Dynamite is a German hard rock/ heavy metal band from Burladingen and Münsingen. History Kissin' Dynamite started as a school band. Since 2007, the band has worked with the Flensburg production team Elephant Music. At the end of 2007 ...
plays the guitar solo and can also be seen in the accompanying video. The acoustic version of the song Dynamite features a
hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-string instrument which consists of String (music), strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board (music), sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set bef ...
played by drummer Paris Jay. For June 11, 2022, Formosa has planned the Formosa Beer Festival'22. At this festival, Formosa will pour the beer created especially for this event. The recipe for the Formosa beer comes from guitarist Nik Beer, who is a qualified brewmaster.


Musical style and influence

Formosa are playing riff based melodic
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
. In addition to classic hard rock, Formosa's music also contains influences from heavy metal and
southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...
. Notable band influences include
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
,
Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...
and
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
. Sometimes Formosa are compared with
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...
. The band's lyrics are in English and are often characterized by striking phrases in the
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...
. Examples here are songs like ''Fuck up your Liver'' and ''Sold my Soul.'' Often, the voice of Nik Bird is compared to the voice of the young
Geddy Lee Geddy Lee Weinrib (; born Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Rock music, rock band Rush (band), Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968 at the request o ...
( Rush) or
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist of heavy metal music, heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 formation until his departure in 1992. Neil reunited with the ...
(
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...
). The influences from southern rock, especially
Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...
and
ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...
are evident in the solo of ''Leader of the Pack'' and with ''Manic Lover'' Formosa have a
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
in their repertoire. Typical movements are the "Judas Priest moves" of Nik Bird and Nik Beer and the intense
headbanging Headbanging is the act of violently shaking one's head in rhythm with music. It is common in rock music, rock, Punk rock, punk, heavy metal music, heavy metal and dubstep, where headbanging is often used by musicians on stage. Headbanging is als ...
of drummer Paris Jay.


Discography


Albums

* 2016: ''Tight & Sexy'' (Sweepland Records) * 2018: ''Sorry for Being Sexy'' (Sweepland Records) * 2020: ''Danger Zone'' (Metalville)


Singles

* 2016: "Friends of the Night" * 2017: "Love on the Highway" * 2018: "Fuck Up Your Liver" * 2018: "Mañana" * 2018: "Mañana" – (Acoustic) * 2018: "Johnny the Beaver" (Acoustic) * 2020: "Sold My Soul" * 2020: "Dynamite" * 2022: "Dynamite" (Acoustic Version) * 2022: "Let It Go" / "Saturday Night" * 2022: "Her Mama" feat. Ande Braun of
Kissin' Dynamite Kissin' Dynamite is a German hard rock/ heavy metal band from Burladingen and Münsingen. History Kissin' Dynamite started as a school band. Since 2007, the band has worked with the Flensburg production team Elephant Music. At the end of 2007 ...
and Thorsten Rock of The Legendary


References


External links


Official Website

Formosa's channel
on YouTube
Formosa on Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Formosa German hard rock musical groups German heavy metal musical groups English-language musical groups from Germany