Gig Tickets, Gig Listings and Tour Dates

On the 13/12/09 Florence and the Machine played Brixton Academy in South London, supported by The Temper Trap. Brixton being a most appropriate and special venue for lead singer Florence Welch as it is her hometown. Her genuine appreciation for her fans was apparent and she was visibly humbled at this realisation of a dream to one day play the Academy.

Florence and the Machine have had huge success in a short space of time, rising and growing in popularity and acknowledged for their edgy sound and haunting vocal strength portraying the aptly named successful album ‘Lungs’.

Knowing Florence for her ornate and eclectic sense of style I was surprised at the minimalistic set design when compared to my pre-conceived expectations. As I await the band I take in the stage set, consisting of a small choir stand and a string orchestra stand, illumination provided by single bulbs nestled inside vintage inspired bird-cages. Centre stage stood Florence’s mic-stand which was draped in flowers. Next to this sat a lonesome drum, used as I recall only once during the show but creating a dramatic impact of musical beats and importance of instrumental accompaniment to Florence’s voice.

Florence enters and looks entrancing in a white dress draping at the waist down to the floor with feather boa strands. She jokes that she “feels like an octopus”. Cue laughter from her fans as everyone thinks- ‘yes, but what a fabulous octopus’. She has not disappointed in the fashion stakes. Surrounding Florence sits her Machine, including a harpist which helps towards the dreamlike feel of the overall set production. The projected backdrop sets off the theme nicely with images of falling roses. This description may not sound simplistic but when you witness the size of the stage, there was a lot of space that could have been filled with more Florence-style paraphernalia, however what is captured is an element of fantasy, a flowery dream world where the Queen is Florence Welch, her Court is her Machine and we her fans, are her loyal subjects.

Perhaps unconventionally, they open with ‘My Boy Builds Coffins’, a song which, in my opinion, lacks a lot of opening impact, however by the end of the gig I realise why: there is a structure to this set list that allows for playing with the dynamics of drama.

There is a build up to an explosion of dramatic intensity around the mid-way point of the show. The gothic feel of ‘Blinding’ calls for twilight effect lighting complimenting the lyrics ‘I’m always in this twilight’, and reaches dizzy heights of intensity with enjoyably excessive use of the strobe light and a heavy drum beat, to accompany and exemplify Florence’s haunting vocals of stupidly (in a good way) long held notes. Excuse the colloquialism but bloody hell, this girl can sing. The song ends with rapturous applause in respect for the talent being witnessed.

Florence’s influence over her fans becomes apparent when she asks everyone to jump continuously with her to the upbeat ‘Dog Days are Over’, and of course everyone obliges, including the seating rows (where one must stay seated!). Cue security running around flashing their torches at offenders i.e. thousands of people jumping with Florence in an act of defiance against conformity and rebellion against authority. Looks like Florence and the Machine cannot help but cause a stir, even when it comes to the venue’s security!

A personal highlight for me was the inclusion of demo/B-side material including ‘Hardest of Hearts’ and ‘Falling’ which are two beautifully moving songs. They broke up the dramatic tension and added a welcome no-frills, melodic simplicity to the show.

The successful cover of ‘You’ve Got The Love’ is met with dancing all round the Academy. Amidst the excitement of the song, Florence characteristically mixes things up and whips off her skirt to reveal those fabulously long pale legs. Gone are the octopus strands and here are high-waisted hot pants- she looks fabulous and not many women could pull off both looks, trust me. After the song she adds that she felt like “that Eurovision band that whipped their skirts off!”

The band returns on stage for a double encore. Firstly a Christmassy feel with a cover of Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ which suits their style so well it could have been written for Florence, with the haunting high and long held notes, before ending with ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)’. We fans are left enraptured by her trademark fiery red hair accompanying her head flicks, the dramatic nature of her open arm gestures and her melodramatic body language.

This show produced intense drama, passion and emotion: this band is an unstoppable machine that functions like a human body, which is after all like a machine made up of vital components. What is clear is that Florence is all heart...and of course lungs.