The meteoric success of Florence Welch, Indie-pops leading front woman, has done little in the way of slowing down. Since the acts emergence in 2007, Florence and the Machine have been catapulted into a world very unlike their early days of playing bar gigs. Lungs, their début album, was everywhere for almost three years, innumerable hits were produced from the record and the band began to make a concrete name for themselves thanks to their romantic, harp based musicality. But also especially thanks to their other worldly leading lady, Florence. So with the foundations firmly set, unrelenting pressure and anticipation was held by everyone for the release of album number two. Released on Halloween week of 2011, Ceremonials became another instant hit. The band had developed in scope and skill, their sound, not unlike Lungs, was much more refined. Florence embracing an elegant, sepia toned style, and doing away with her outlandish antics. Though having said this, just because she doesn’t climb stage scaffolding anyone doesn’t mean she isn’t still a party animal. Her presence becoming even more mesmerising, the band’s sound becoming more epic and ground shaking. As 2011 progressed and 2012 emerged, Florence and the Machine unleashed Ceremonials onto the world. With numerous Trans Atlantic performances, interviews and general hype the record has begun to overshadow its former. So with this in mind, Florence and the Machine began their UK tour this March and graced the stage of Manchester’s MCR Arena on the March 15th.
Playing to a phenomenally packed out venue, the set opened with the dream like Only if for a Night a gorgeous harp solo introduced Florence herself, backed by light and framed by Art Deco panelling. She stepped down onto the stage amongst typical cloak like attire. Throughout the whole concert Florence and the Machine kept up a typically beautiful performance, though some may say it was at times a bit too highly polished and practiced. Though, this is inevitable if you become an international superstar. What the Water Gave Me, Heartlines and other tracks from the new album filled the arena with awe inspiring sound. Ceremonials highlight came, however, when Shake it Out began. A song about letting go, progressing and leaving mystical demons behind, Shake it Out was written on a hangover. In true Welch style she dedicated it to anyone who had had a heavy weekend, and it’s safe to say nearly everyone in that arena shook of some metaphorical demons for its duration.
The set was peppered with tracks from Lungs, such as Dog Days are Over, Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up) and Cosmic Love. All equally astounding in their own right, but what with a stadium of thousands they were taken to another level. Hearing all those people sing and dance in unison was quite a special moment. Leaving the stage with immense thanks and overwhelming light, Flo returned for the encore of You’ve Got the Love and Never Let Me Go. The former is most certainly the track which set off the bands super stardom, it created deafening applause. The latter being a hauntingly, beautiful track about drowning, a morbid theme which Florence can’t get enough of. The performance, like all of their others, quite rightly shows why Florence and the Machine are so loved and so epic.
