This week, Ali and Kempy discuss once in a generation talent, the wildly successful Florence and the Machine.

Florence Welch was born in Camberwell, South London, to Nick – an advertising executive and Evelyn – a university professor. 

The bands’ name started as a private joke between her and childhood friend and long-time keyboard player and collaborator, Isabella – or Isa Summers. Early gigs billed them as Florence Robot and Isa Machine, but in time the length of the name drove them mad and they became Florence and the Machine.

Even before releasing their debut album, there was a lot of hype around Florence, known for her powerful vocal performances, eccentric stage persona and for performing barefoot. They were invited to play Glastonbury, support Blur at Hyde Park and won the critics choice award at the 2009 Brit awards.

A 2009 BBC review of Lungs describes the bands' style of music as ‘soul inspired indie’ meets ‘Tim Burton style fairytales’. Certainly, the emotive lyrics in her early work are full of dark imagery that contrast the ethereal music, now synonymous with huge percussion, the use of harmony and choirs and, of course, the infamous harp. After 28 consecutive weeks on the UK album charts, it reached the summit and the band scored their first number one album. The album reached number 14 in the US Billboard 200 and has sold over 3 million copies worldwide

She built upon the identifiable sound on her incredible debut with 2011’s Ceremonials and 2015’s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, which – she admits – was very difficult and at times traumatic thing to create, and documents the breakdown of a relationship.

In 2015, while recovering from a broken foot herself, she stepped up to headline the Glastonbury festival when Foo Fighters had to pull out due to Dave Grohl breaking his leg after falling offstage during a gig. They covered Foos’ song, Times Like These, in a memorable set that only reinforced her as a once in a generation talent who thoroughly deserved to top the bill at Worthy Farm on her own merit, and no doubt would have done so even if Mr Grohl hadn’t broken his leg.

In an interview with Annie Mac for Radio 1 in 2018, Florence confessed that here ‘attachment to reality is tenuous at the best of times’, and she topped off an incredible decade with her fourth album, High As Hope, which saw her giving herself a producer credit for the first time and debuts more direct and honest lyrical style about her life and struggles with alcohol and eating disorders.

Also in this episode. the boys discuss the strangest modes of transport that they've taken to gigs, upcoming live stream shows and how a board game based on Never Mind the Buzzcock's 'Guess the Song' round nearly ended Ali's relationship.

EPISODE LINKS

Florence and the Machine at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust

Florence and the Machine official website

Foo Fighters album pre-order (supporting independent record stores)

Liam Gallagher 'Down By the River Thames' live stream tickets

Radio One interview with Annie Mac

Shame - Alphabet (this week's support band)

Thames Clipper Boats, Ali's preferred mode of transportation 

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