Florence and the Machine
Technically a band, although
in reality a collaboration between singer Florence Welch and a changing number
of backing musicians, Florence and the Machine are one of the most exciting new
acts to emerge in the UK over the past few years. Reflective of the band’s
patchwork personnel, their musical output is an eclectic mix of different
genres, including pop, soul and rock. This mish mash of influences was clearly
evident in their debut album, ‘Lungs’, which was released to much critical
acclaim in July 2009. After 28 consecutive weeks in the charts, the album
finally reached the number one position in January 2010, a rise that culminated
in them winning the ‘Mastercard British Album’ gong at the Brit Awards in
February 2010.
Florence herself is an intriguing character. A hyperactive, obsessive insomniac, she struggled to focus at school, eventually being diagnosed with both dyslexia and dysmetria (a condition typified by the sufferer’s inability to coordinate movement or correctly judge distance and scale). Over the course of her childhood she developed a morbid fascination with violence, terror and death, an obsession intensified by the death of her grandparents during her mid-teens. This morbid theme runs throughout ‘Lungs’, which although musically lively, is frequently lyrically dark. When asked about this angle in an interview with NME, Welch said: “Well, what other subject is there? I remember realising that my parents were going to die and weeping. Weeping as if my father had actually died.”
As she revealed to the BBC in late 2009, Florence is currently working on her second album, which is due for release in 2011. As she grows in age and experience, so her music is also evolving with her. According to Welch, the new album is “a bit more fuzzy, a bit harder. If the first album was animal and anatomica,l I think this one is chemical and elemental.” Moving away from the upbeat indie pop of ‘Lungs’, she has described the new album as being “dancey, but… also dark”, featuring “relentless drums and heavy, droning bass”. In tandem with recording the album, Florence and the Machine will also play a number of festivals during 2010, including T in the Park and the V Festival, which follow on from their stellar appearance at the Glastonbury festival in 2009. As if this weren’t enough to keep the energetic Florence busy, the group are also embarking on their own ‘Cosmic Love Tour’ in May 2010, playing at venues in Ireland, Germany, and many different cities in the UK. The next couple of years look busy for Florence Welch, but one thing’s for sure - the girl has the energy to leap in head first, kicking, screaming, and maybe singing too.
