Last night I went to see Florence and the Machine with my mum at the Manchester Evening News Arena. I bought her a ticket as a Christmas present, so have been excited since giving it to her! I first saw them at Glastonbury in 2010, and despite watching them on my own (my friends went to see Corinne Bailey Rae instead- pfft!) it was probably one of the best experiences of my life.
It was a bit of a rush to get there, as I didn't finish work until half past six, but after a quick change we caught a metro into town and went straight inside. The support group were The Horrors, who I had got the album especially for. The album is actually really good, but they weren't that great live. This was mainly due to the sound system to be fair, as you could barely hear the lead singer, so it made it difficult to enjoy when it was just incessant bass guitar and heavy drums. At least if they make it big I can say I've seen them!
Florence came on at about 9.15pm, wearing a gorgeous padded shouldered black cape that was very dramatic, over the top of a black playsuit embellished with bronze studs across the shoulders and chest. She opened with my favourite song off the new album 'Only If For A Night', which I recognised as soon as the piano intro started, and got very excited! The third song she played was 'Cosmic Love' which is my favourite song off the first album, so at this point I was ecstatic! It reminds me of when I went to the Clothes Show in 2009, as it was used for a ballet performance during the catwalk show.
They played all the classics (Shake It Out, Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up, Dog Days) as well as a great deal off the new album, including the latest single 'No Light, No Light', and came back on for an encore of 'You've Got The Love' as they did at Glastonbury. I especially loved the rendition of 'Heartlines' that Florence did acoustically with her guitarist, it was as if she was singing to a crowd of ten, not thousands, and was very touching.
The stage set up for the concert was really cool as well- there was a huge disco ball in the centre, and the backdrop was reminiscent of a 50s style cruise ship with art deco panels that had images projected onto them dependent on the songs. There was an Alice In Wonderland style one with loads of bright coloured flowers, and an anatomical drawing of sets of lungs for during the performance of 'Between Two Lungs'.
One of the main things that I love about the music F&TM make, is the use of so many instruments, and she had a full band on stage with her, including a harpist and three backing singers. I think it is refreshing to see a performer who is not afraid to take a back seat now and again in order to showcase the talent of her fellow bandmembers; and Florence was the first to admit how she wouldn't be so successful without their help.
Despite being a fashion icon, and often appearing rather aloof in pictures, Florence's stage presence is phenomenal, she flounces about the stage like a child, and got the whole crowd jumping up and down during 'Dog Days', even those in the seated audience. She also manages to remain incredibly humble and modest about her talent, which is even more impressive when you hear her sing live - no miming here!
I think it is obvious from this post that I had an awesome time at the concert, but it is also worth mentioning that it is one of the most diverse crowds I have seen at a gig before - the ages ranged from ten years olds with their parents, to people in their sixties, and there were groups of middle aged men as well as schools of teenage girls, couples, and we saw some other mother/ daughter groups as well! It just proves how accessible the music is that Florence and the Machine make, and if you ever get the chance to see them live, DO IT! You won't regret it, I promise.
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