Live Review

Florence And The Machine – Hammersmith Apollo, London

• 19th May 2010

It was an intense evening the other night at the legendary Hammersmith Apollo. The show was packed with bands that would happily sell out solo shows, let alone suppot one of the best female vocalists in the world today.

Babeshadow came first, playing a decent set that got the indie heads bopping. Next, the very much talked about The Drums who showcased tunes from the new album and crowd favorite ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ as they pranced around on stage like demented pixies.

After a lengthy wait and a cheeky pint, we were blessed with the woman herself, Miss Florence Welch and her supreme backing band, featuring the usual faces and the addition of a 6 piece string section and 12 piece choir, she’ hadn’t half pulled out the stops with this one. Cladded in a sleek black number, and appearing from a giant discoball, this looked set to be a great show!

Kicking off with the lesser known tracks from the album, she reworked them infront of our very eyes, showcasing her supreme vocal talent. As the crowd started to settle into the fascinating reworks we were hit with single ‘Drumming,’ of which everyone in the audience sang back to her, a truly beautiful moment. After a brief pre-lude piece from the band, they set off into a, well, blinding rendition of ‘Blinding’ sweeping into a lovingly crafted version of ‘I’m Not Calling You A Liar’.

What came next though was a surprise, after a brief audience interaction with Flo, she graced into the little known track ‘Swimming’ the crowd still singing along. Next up, tour-title-track ‘Cosmic Love,’ of which you couldn’t help but admire the beautiful asthetics of the show, bird cages and all, 4 of them to be exact. Then, to my surprise we witnessed a new track going by the name of ‘Strangeness and Charm,’ said to be written about the idea of particles and atoms. A song of pounding drums, trashing guitar; and a chant mystical chorus, a certain new direction, but all for the better. Next up, the stunning ‘You Got The Love,’ but not as you know it, for this was a very orchestral interpretation, laying use to their resources. The build left the audience on edge, and as it dropped, Hammersmith was in the air, a sea of jumping. As the fans reached for the sky, so did Florence prowling around the stage like the one of the greats.

As the band took a breather to commence into what we thought was the finale, ever the performer, Florence shouted out to the audience, ‘Girls on shoulders, we want girls on shoulders, let’s see how many we can get.’ As the crowd mysteriously rose into a sea of girls on shoulders, ‘Dog Days’ sent everyone crazy with ecstasy, as they jumped even higher than before.

The band left the stage, lights still dimmed, the chants for an encore began. Welcoming them all back on stage to a gratuitous round of applause. And straight into the angsty ‘Kiss With A Fist,’ and finishing with an absolutely amazing version of ‘Rabbit Heart’ in which every single member of the crowd chanted back ‘Raise It Up!’ developing its self into its own dance-ier remix.

After a lengthy 1hr45min set, both the crowd and band were thoroughly worn out. Parting ways and back into reality, the show left a memory that would not be forgotten in haste.

Stunning, 9/10

Setlist:
Howl
Coffins
Girl
Lungs
Drumming
(E SEGUE – FLO)
Blinding
I’m not calling
Swimming
Comsic love
Strangeness
Got The Love
Dog Days
————
Kiss With A Fist
Rabbit Heart