Formosa is a German

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

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 next to the

Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, 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, ca ...

. 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 ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , 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 2,800/km ...

to start Formosa as a

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...

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 To ignite is the first step of firelighting. Ignite may also refer to: Music *Ignite (band), a melodic hardcore band from Orange County, California * ''Ignite'' (Econoline Crush album), 2007 * ''Ignite'' (Shihad album), 2010 * "Ignite" (Eir Aoi s ...

, and in the fall they went on their first international headlining tour through the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as 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 throughout the who ...

. 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,

The New Roses The New Roses (stylised as THE NEW ROSES) is a rock band from Wiesbaden, Germany. History The New Roses were founded in 2007 by singer Timmy Rough and drummer Urban Berz and officially took on the name "The New Roses" in 2012. The band was complet ...

and

Bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

. 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 Andy may refer to: People *Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds *Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and piano ...

, 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, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

''Danger Zone'' (2019–2021)

In early 2019, Formosa recorded their third album ''Danger Zone'' in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. As producers, the band hired

Martin Furia Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

(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 kind ...

and

Nervosa ''Nervosa'' is an album by the band Showbread. It was released on May 13, 2008, simultaneously with its companion album ''Anorexia''. Nervosa second in a two-CD collection entitled Anorexia Nervosa, which is an accompaniment to the short story '' ...

). After the recording sessions Formosa went on a support tour with

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

. 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 nickn ...

Festival in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, 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 David Lynch. She was introduced in the pilot. The daughter of Ben and Sylvia Horne, sister of Johnny Horn ...

was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

''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 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, they sta ...

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-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more trad ...

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

. 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 music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar speculat ...

. Notable band influences include

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

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. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

and

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...

. Sometimes Formosa are compared with

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...

. The band's lyrics are in English and are often characterized by striking phrases in the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

. 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 (born Gary Lee Weinrib; July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968, at the re ...

(

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

) or

Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 forma ...

(

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...

). The influences from southern rock, especially

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

and

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

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.J. M. C ...

in their repertoire. Typical movements are the "Judas Priest moves" of Nik Bird and Nik Beer and the intense

headbanging Headbanging is the action of violently shaking one's head in rhythm with music. It is common in the contemporary rock, punk and heavy metal music genres, where headbanging is often used by musicians on stage. Headbanging is also common in tradit ...

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

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