If you have been following my blogs you would have read an earlier one on a Welch singer and her band, Florence and the Machine. Last night I was graced by her presence, attending a concert that was truly amazing, simple in theatrics but incredible in performance.
We left to go to the gig at the Trusts Stadium later than I would have liked (due to a miscommunication) but ended up towards the front of the mosh regardless – possibly because everyone in the audience was a pristinely dressed tween, decked out in sequins and lace and adamant on not pushing back. Not exactly regular concert goers, you could tell that on first glance.
I had absolutely no idea who was opening for Florence while she was here, but I was treated to a very happy surprise when The Naked and Famous came out on stage, a New Zealand indie pop band that needs to be listened to if you haven’t already. Their hit ‘Young Blood’ was inspired by crazy teens and the vampire show True Blood, reaching number one on our charts and being nominated for a Silver Scroll, so if that’s not proof of their talent then I don’t know what is. Soon after The Naked and Famous was a band from New York called The Drums, who only intensified the indie feel that echoed around the whole of the trust stadium (despite the clearly un-indie crowd following).
The wait in between The Drums and Florence and the Machine was pretty interesting to say the least, with many tipsy (and more) tweens creating quite the scene by turning around and snapping at anyone who got too close. One girl, turning around to yell at me and my friend for pushing and being ‘so rude!’ soon ended up with a lovely wad of gum in her hair. Mosh pits are meant for pushing after all. During the wait the roadies hoisted up a giant black sheet to conceal the stage before Florence came on, and, of course, to add dramatic effect. Every performer needs an element of drama!
After the painstaking wait (less than that for Paramore, thankfully) the lights dimmed and the sheet dropped, revealing a gorgeous glowing backdrop complemented by a glowing red head standing in front of the stage. Starting the night with ‘Drumming Song’ was a perfect way to get the crowed going, the jazzy drum intro and fast tempo just begging for the audience to jump up and down in time and sway with her as she moved gracefully across the stage. After that came the slightly creepy yet still amazing ‘Girl With One Eye’ to slow it down ever so slightly and also lead up to the darker themes of ‘My Boy Builds Coffins’. Even though so many of Florence’s songs have undertones of dark foreboding, each one still managed to keep its upbeat sound that just made you want to sing along and dance, which everyone was surely doing by the end of the night – apart from those few girls pristinely dressed and worrying about their clothes (now where’s the fun in that?) She finished up the show with ‘Kiss with a Fist’ and ‘Dog Days are Over’ – which was being chanted for, obviously a crowd favourite – during the encore.
Whenever Florence put down the microphone to address the crowd and thank us all for coming- which I swear she did countless times!- I was shocked to hear the quiet, sweet, timid voice that came out of her mouth. With lungs that can belt the hell out of any song, I really did not expect a cute, quiet, British accented voice to come from the same person. Not to mention the fact that she was so polite, humble and thankful and that we all clearly knew who she was and thoroughly enjoyed the concert.
This indie queen is full of quirks, amazing musical talent and incredible style. Wearing a black flowing slip and eventually bringing out a cut out black cape, drama was not only present in her performance but also her clothing choices. With a sneak listen of her newest song she had me yearning for another album, which is unfortunately not coming out for some time. Watch out for anything with her name on it though – no matter what it is, it will be worthwhile.
Margaux’s Mix Tape
Florence and the Machine – Girl with One Eye 
The Naked and Famous - Young Blood
