Gig Review: Florence + The Machine

This is kind of an impromptu gig review as I didn't actually know that I was going to this gig until just a few hours before it! This Thursday (06/12/12) Florence + The Machine (FATM) headlined The O2 Arena. I'd known about this gig for a longgg time but I wasn't able to get tickets when they came on sale, and obviously I was pretty upset that I couldn't make it. It was just my luck that a friend of mine had a spare ticket for me to go to the show. Free ticket - SCORE!

FATM were supported by HAIM and The Maccabees. Before Thursday, I'd never heard of HAIM and I'd heard a couple of The Maccabees songs but I'd been pretty indifferent towards them. It's safe to say that I wasn't expecting much when I was waiting to see them. Truth be told, I didn't get a lot from them either. Well actually HAIM were a lot better than I'd expected and The Maccabees were a lot more boring than I'd expected. I fell asleep part-way through The Maccabees set (this has never before happened to me at a gig - not impressed.) But HAIM - they started off pretty average but then really really picked up towards the end of their set. Watch this video of the last 7 minutes of their set..

 

I love love LOVE the drum solo that they do at the end (FYI - lead singers that proceed to play a floor tom or an 808 mid-set immediately become 100% cooler)*. Anyways, skipping past the support acts, now for Flo.....

Where do I begin? As the curtain fell and you could see Florence's set up it was already evident that it was going to be a fantastic show. She had her orchestra, drum kit, grand piano, second paino, backing vocalists, classical drum set, other effect instruments and of course a harp. As the instruments started playing the haunting intro to "Only If For A Night" the crowd was going wild. The intro lasted a good 45 seconds and the crowd was cheering and whooping the entire time. I can't even lie, my heart was racing when she stepped on stage and started singing. She was just flawless. After "Only If For A Night" she then proceeded to sing "What The Water Gave Me". This was probably my favourite song she performed the whole night. She was so lost in the music and the performance, it was as if she didn't know that there were over 20,000 people watching her at that very moment. I even had to sit down mid-way through and just watch in awe as she soared across the stage angelically. This performance almost made me cry - and I probably would have had my friends not prompted me to stand up and dance. The atmosphere that night was just powerful.

She continued on her set, leaping and bounding across the stage through hits such as "Lover To Lover", "Rabbit Heart" and "Heartlines". Each song was awe-inspiring. Her backing vocalists were also fantastic. When she drew her set to a close with her hit "No Light, No Light" the crowd continued to chant wildly for her encore. She then hopped back on stage to belt out a slower version of her song (featuring Calvin Harris) "Sweet Nothing". It was clear by this point that she had this crowd in the palm of her hands. She swiftly transitioned into her song "Spectrum" and the atmosphere was electric. The lights multi-coloured and the crowd leaping, singing, waving their arms. True brilliance. 

And of course she couldn't leave without performing the hit "Dog Days Are Over". The crowd moved frantically - pushing and screaming - completely reveling in the moment. At that point, I can pretty safely say everyone is in complete ecstasy. Only once have I come out of a gig and felt as giddy I did after this one. Pure genius. 

Overall rating - 9.5/10

Here are some pictures from the night...





PS: *Exhibit A (skip to 3:15)... case closed.



CONVERSATION

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