Florence and the Machine
Encyclopedia
Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch
and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul
. The band's music received praise across the music media, especially from the BBC
, before they gained mainstream success. Specifically, the BBC played a large part in their rise to prominence by promoting Florence and the Machine as part of BBC Introducing
.
The band's debut album, Lungs
, was released on 6 July 2009, and held the number-two position for its first five weeks on the UK Albums Chart
. On 17 January 2010, the album reached the top position, after being on the chart for twenty-eight consecutive weeks. As of October 2010, the album had been in the top forty in the United Kingdom for sixty-five consecutive weeks, making it one of the best-selling albums of 2009 and 2010.
Lungs won the MasterCard
British Album award at the 2010 BRIT Awards
. At the 53rd Grammy Awards
, Florence and the Machine was nominated for Best New Artist
. Additionally, the band performed at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert
.
The group's second album, Ceremonials
, was released in October 2011 and debuted strongly, entering at number 1 in both the UK and Irish charts, and reaching the top 10 in the United States.
), age 25 is the daughter of Evelyn Welch, a Harvard-educated Professor of Renaissance
Studies and Academic Dean of Arts at Queen Mary, University of London
, and Nick Welch, an advertising executive. Florence is also the niece of the satirist Craig Brown
. and granddaughter of former deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph and former Daily Mail
parliamentary sketchwriter Colin Welch. Nick contributed a "rock and roll element to the family mix"; in his 20s he used to live in the West End
squat and attended the Squatters' Ball organised by Heathcote Williams
where The 101ers
played regularly. Nick claims to have "nudged Flo ... to listen to The Ramones rather than Green Day
". Florence claims that her mother also had a strong influence on her: after a visit to one of her mother's lectures as a teenager, Florence explained, "I aspire to something like that but with music. I hope that my music has some of the big themes — sex, death, love, violence — that will still be part of the human story in 200 years' time."
Welch was educated at Thomas's London Day School
then went onto Alleyn's School
, South East London
, where she did well academically. She often got in trouble in school for impromptu singing. Welch has been diagnosed with dyslexia
and dyspraxia. Following her meteoric rise to fame, she suffered a bout of depression
. Upon leaving school, Welch studied at Camberwell College of Arts
before dropping out to focus on music. Welch's fascination with terror and doom was intensified by the death of her grandparents within a few years of each other. At the age 10 Welch witnessed her grandfather's deterioration, and her maternal grandmother, also an art historian, committed suicide when Welch was 14. When Welch was 13 years old, she and her mother moved in with their next door neighbour and his three teenage children. According to Welch: "We get on brilliantly now, but it was a nightmare then. I just used to stay in my room and dance around."
Welch contributed vocals to David Byrne
and Fatboy Slim
's 2010 album Here Lies Love
, an album about Imelda Marcos
. When discussing her fashion style, Welch said that "(f)or the stage, it's Lady of Shalott
meets Ophelia
... mixed with scary gothic bat lady. But in real life I'm kind of prim."
As of January 2011, Welch was working with Drake
on material slated for his upcoming record.
Welch has become a fashion icon, noticed for her red curls (although she is naturally a brunette) and a style that has been described as daring but nonchalant. As a teenager she read fashion magazines more often than music magazines. Early in her music career she dressed in a tomboy
style. 2011 saw Gucci
dressing her for her summer tour and a performance at the Chanel
runway show at Paris Fashion Week
. Welch describes 1970s American drag queen troupe Cockettes and French beatnik singer Françoise Hardy
as fashion mentors. Welch has also named Stevie Nicks
as a musical, fashion, and general influence. A Huffington Post entertainment article quotes her as telling a reporter that "I'm pretty obsessed with Stevie Nicks from her style to her voice. I like watching her on YouTube and her old performances, the way she moves and everything."
From 2008, Welch had a relationship with Stuart Hammond, a literary editor: their temporary split provided inspiration for much of the Lungs
album. In 2011 the couple announced that they had broken up by mutual decision because of conflicting career demands: the breakup provided material for Florence and The Machine's second album.
. Welch and Summers performed together for a time under the name Florence Robot/Isa Machine. Later, this was shortened to Florence and the Machine as it was felt to be too cumbersome. Welch continued using this name for her band even when Summers parted company with her for a time, although Summers later returned to become their regular keyboard player.
The current band members include musicians Robert Ackroyd (guitar and backing vocals), Chris Hayden (drums, percussion and backing vocals), Isabella Summers
(keyboards and backing vocals), Mark Saunders (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Tom Monger (harp). In the past, Welch has praised the Machine for understanding her creative process, claiming, "I've worked with most of them for a long time and they know my style, know the way I write, they know what I want."
In 2007, Welch recorded with a band named Ashok, who released an album titled Plans on the Filthy Lucre/About Records label. This album included the earliest version of her later hit "Kiss with a Fist
", which at this point was titled "Happy Slap". She signed a contract for Ashok with a manager, but feeling that she was "in the wrong band" she resigned, which cancelled the contract. Florence and the Machine are managed by Mairead Nash (one half of the DJ duo Queens of Noize
), who decided to manage the singer when an inebriated Welch followed Nash into the toilets at a club and sang Etta James
' 1962 song "Something's Got a Hold on Me".
in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2009. The album was officially launched with a set at the Rivoli Ballroom
in Brockley, South East London. It peaked at number one in the UK and number two in Ireland. As of 6 August 2009, the album had sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and by 10 August it had been at number two for five consecutive weeks. Following its 25 July 2009 release for download in the United States, the album debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums
chart, ultimately peaking at number one. The album was released physically in the US on 20 October by Universal Republic
. The album was produced by James Ford
, Paul Epworth
, Steve Mackey
and Charlie Hugall. Much of the material on the album was written as reaction to what turned out to be a temporary break-up with Welch's current boyfriend. Welch says, "He prefers me not to talk about it. It's funny then singing about it."
"Kiss with a Fist
" was released as the album's lead single on 9 June 2008. The track was featured on the soundtrack to the films Wild Child, Jennifer's Body
, and St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, as well as in the television series 90210
and Saving Grace
. Follow-up single "Dog Days Are Over
", released on 1 December 2008, was recorded with no instruments in a studio the "size of a loo
". The song was used in the American television series Gossip Girl
, Community
and Covert Affairs
, in the British television series Skins
, and in the theatrical trailer for the 2010 comedy-drama film Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts
. "Dog Days Are Over" was also featured in the Glee
episode "Special Education
", where it was covered by Jenna Ushkowitz and Amber Riley
. "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
" was released on 22 June 2009 as the third single from the album. Part of the song's melody, as well as the lyric "How quickly the glamour fades", were lifted from New York band Gang Gang Dance
's 2008 song "House Jam" without credit on the Lungs liner notes
. Members of group noticed this and brought it to the attention of Florence and the Machine's label. Island Records
acknowledged infringement
and agreed to pay Gang Gang Dance a share of the song's publishing royalties. Welch agreed that she erred and said her intent was to pay homage.
After the release of Lungs, "Drumming Song
" and a cover of The Source
and Candi Staton
's 1986 song "You've Got the Love" were released as singles, the latter of which also went on to become part of a mashup
titled "You Got the Dirtee Love" between Welch and English rapper Dizzee Rascal
. The two performed the mashup together at the 2010 BRIT Awards
on 16 February 2010 and the recorded performance was subsequently released as a single the following day.
On 5 January 2010, "Hurricane Drunk" was originally announced as the next single from the album. However, on 3 March a re-release of "Dog Days Are Over" was announced on the band's website; it was released digitally on 11 April 2010 and on 7" vinyl the following day, coinciding with the release of a brand-new video. "Cosmic Love
" was released on 5 July 2010 as the sixth and final single from Lungs, with a music video having already been shot. The song was featured in several American television shows, including Grey's Anatomy
, The Vampire Diaries
, V
, Nikita
and So You Think You Can Dance
. The band also made a guest appearance in the 7 February 2011 episode of Gossip Girl
, titled "Panic Roommate", where they performed an acoustic rendition of "Cosmic Love". On 12 May 2010, it was announced that Florence and the Machine would provide a track called "Heavy in Your Arms
" for the soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
, the third film of The Twilight Saga
. Eclipse was released in cinemas on 30 June 2010, with "Heavy in Your Arms" playing during the end credits. The music video followed on 7 July 2010.
, but ultimately decided to record the album in the UK. The first demo session occurred in January 2010 with Welch and Paul Epworth
at a small London studio. Numerous producers expressed an interest in working on the album but Welch rejected the offers because she wanted Ceremonials to be a better version of Lungs with a "more dark, more heavy, bigger drum sounds, bigger bass, but with more of a whole sound". For the rest of the year work on the album continued only intermittently as the band concentrated on an extensive tour of the United States, where Lungs had become popular.
The majority of the writing for the album was done between January and April of 2011, with recording taking place in April at Abbey Road Studios
. Refinement took place at Epworth's own London studios while Welch recorded vocal tracks in various US studios, during days off from touring. The final recording session took place in July at Epworth's studio.
Epworth co-wrote seven tracks. Several other British writers share credits on the album, including Summers, Kid Harpoon
, James Ford
and composer Eg White
.
In June 2011 a cover of the Buddy Holly
classic "Not Fade Away
," which Florence and the Machine recorded for the tribute album Rave On Buddy Holly
tied to Holly's seventy-fifth birthday year, was released and they debuted Ceremonials's setup track "What the Water Gave Me
" at the Greek Theatre
in Berkeley, California
.
In August 2011, the single "What the Water Gave Me
" was released on iTunes
along with an accompanying video on the band's website and YouTube
channel. The video drew 1.5 million YouTube views in two days and the track received play on US alternative radio with strong support from Los Angeles radio station KROQ.
The single "Shake It Out" was released over the internet in September 2011, with standard release 11 October. In Australia, the song was playlisted at Triple J
and Nova
radio networks and received strong airplay in Scandinavia, Italy and Canada.
Ceremonials
was released on 31 October 2011. It reached the #1 album spot in the UK on its first week of release and the #6 album spot in the United States.
and erroneous representations of Vodou
. No official statement from Welch or her label regarding these accusations has been released at this time. Fans, in general, have reacted negatively to these claims, describing them "nonsensical" and "dull". They also have said these allegations are just misinterpretations of the concept the videos englobe and they never intended to offend or discriminate any ethnic group or culture.
on the MySpace Main Stage which was hosted by manager Nash's DJ double act, Queens of Noize. In May 2008, they supported MGMT
on tour in Europe. The BBC
played a large part in Florence and the Machine's rise to prominence by promoting her as part of BBC Introducing
. This led to them playing music festivals in 2008, including Glastonbury
, Reading and Leeds
and Bestival
. Florence and the Machine were also part of the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2009
in January and February.
The group played the Concerts for Teenage Cancer Trust
charity event at the Royal Albert Hall
in March 2009. Florence and The Machine supported Blur
for their 26 June comeback performance at the M.E.N. Arena
in Manchester
. They played at the Lovebox Festival
on 18 and 19 July. In July 2009, the group was supporting Duran Duran
. They performed at the Glastonbury Festival 2009
, the Reading and Leeds 2009, Electric Picnic 2009
and T in the Park 2009
.
Florence and the Machine played at Australia's Splendour in the Grass
music festival in July 2010. The group drew one of the biggest crowds of the three-day festival. They performed in the natural open-air amphitheater, which had to be closed off by security due to safety concerns as an unprecedented number of festivalgoers rushed to see the performance. It is estimated that 28,000 people of the 33,000 people that attended the festival crammed in to see Florence and the Machine. The amphitheater was reopened shortly after the start, once the safety fear was over. In October 2009, the band's equipment and instruments were caught in a trailer fire during their European tour, forcing the band to use rented instruments to complete their remaining shows. Welch stated, "You could hear the harp's strings ping in the fire. Strange sound. We recorded it and I want to use it in a song."
On 27 October 2009, Florence and the Machine played their first official New York City gig at the Bowery Ballroom
, and performed "Kiss with a Fist" on The Late Show with David Letterman. On 5 November, the band performed "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Welch stated although she would like to tour the United States, she is fearful of becoming homesick due to the time it would take to tour the country.
After the success of Lungs topping the UK Albums Chart in January 2010, seven months after the album was released, Florence and the Machine announced an eleven-date UK and Ireland tour called The Cosmic Love Tour in May 2010. Support acts include Babe Shadow and The Drums
. Florence and the Machine performed at Oxegen 2010
, T in the Park 2010
, the Isle of Wight Festival 2010
, Roskilde Festival 2010
, V Festival 2010
, and the San Miguel Primavera Sound 2010. In March 2010, it was that confirmed that the band's first headlining festival would be Latitude 2010, having been booked the previous September before achieving mainstream success.
The Cosmic Love Tour kicked off at Dublin's Olympia Theatre on 2 May 2010 where the group debuted a new song called "Strangeness and Charm" and ended at London's Hammersmith Apollo
on 15 May 2010. On 25 June, the group played the Glastonbury Festival 2010
, where they performed "Strangeness and Charm" and a cover of Fleetwood Mac
's "The Chain
" during their ten-song set. Their performance drew one of the biggest crowds of the day and one of the biggest in the Other Stage's history.
Welch and Dizzee Rascal's performance of a mashup version of the band's single "You've Got the Love" and Dizzee's single "Dirtee Cash
", titled "You Got the Dirtee Love", at the 2010 BRIT Awards on 16 February 2010 was described as "a definite highlight of the evening". This collaboration was released as a charity single the following day, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart
. She reprised the performance when she joined Dizzee on stage during his performance at the Glastonbury Festival 2010. Florence and the Machine opened for U2
on the North American leg of their U2 360° Tour
in June and July 2011.
s PopWrap, Welch revealed that, in the weeks and months prior to her 12 September performance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
, was so nervous she lost sleep and cried. In addition, she struggled during the pre-show rehearsal with a move that required her to stand up on a rotating platform. The performance was directed by So You Think You Can Dance
choreographer Travis Wall
and had Welch performing with a host of hyperactive dancers. It was described as "both ethereal and downright joyous". After the performance, Lungs rose to number two on the iTunes
albums chart and "Dog Days Are Over" rose to number nine on the iTunes singles chart. In addition, Florence and the Machine became the number-one search on Google
and received 1,700 tweets per minute on Twitter
. Florence and the Machine performed "Dogs Days Are Over" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
on 15 October 2010. On 20 November 2010, the band performed "Dog Days Are Over" and "You've Got the Love" on Saturday Night Live
. They performed an online-only concert at New York City's Ed Sullivan Theater
on 16 December 2010 as part of the Live on Letterman
concert series. Welch and a number of other female singers opened the 53rd Grammy Awards
on 13 February 2011 with a tribute to an ailing Aretha Franklin
. On 27 February 2011, Welch replaced pregnant Dido
and sang her portion of Best Original Song
nominee "If I Rise
" (from 127 Hours
) with A. R. Rahman
at the 83rd Academy Awards
. An exclusive remix of "I'm Not Calling You a Liar" is featured in the 2011 video game Dragon Age II
as "I'm Not Calling You a Liar (Dragon Age II: Varric's Theme)", produced by the game's composer Inon Zur
.
Two years of worldwide touring
are scheduled to promote Ceremonials.
, Siouxsie Sioux
, PJ Harvey
, and Björk
.
Florence and the Machine's style has been described as "dark, robust and romantic". Their music is a mix of "classic soul and midnight-on-the-moors English art rock". Florence Welch stated that her lyrics related to Renaissance
artists : "We're dealing with all of the same things they did : love and death, time and pain, heaven and hell".
after coming third in the BBC's Sound of 2009 poll. As well as attention from the BBC, the band received significant support from NME magazine, who included them on their annual Shockwaves NME Awards Tour for 2009, along with Glasvegas
, Friendly Fires
and White Lies
.
The Sunday Times
described Welch as "the most peculiar and most highly acclaimed female singer of the moment" and "the latest in a line of great English pop eccentrics". Allmusic referred to Lungs as "one of the most musically mature and emotionally mesmerising albums of 2009". Spin
magazine rated Lungs eight out of ten and wrote, "You've gotta hand it to the girl: She always makes you feel something." The magazine named it the eighth best album of 2009. In December 2010, Florence and the Machine appeared on one of Spins three holiday issue covers as Artist of the Year.
Florence and the Machine won the MasterCard
British Album award for Lungs at the 2010 BRIT Awards
, having also been nominated for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act. On 19 February 2010, Florence and the Machine won Best International Band at the 2010 Meteor Awards
. The group led the nominations for the 2010 MOJO Awards
, with four nods. They received a nomination for Best New Artist
at the 53rd Grammy Awards. In April 2011, Florence and the Machine were ranked 51 in the 2011 Time 100
poll, which annually lists the 100 most influential people in the world.
Florence Welch
Florence Leontine Mary Welch is an English singer-songwriter, best known worldwide as the lead singer of Florence and the Machine...
and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. The band's music received praise across the music media, especially from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, before they gained mainstream success. Specifically, the BBC played a large part in their rise to prominence by promoting Florence and the Machine as part of BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing is the brand for new music programmes across the BBC radio stations, showcasing unsigned, self signed and other emerging musical talent primarily from the UK. Launched in 2007 the Introducing brand brings programming from across the BBC under a unified brand with each show retaining...
.
The band's debut album, Lungs
Lungs (album)
Lungs is the debut album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released 6 July 2009 by Island Records. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks after its release, behind The Essential Michael Jackson compilation. On 10 January 2010 the album returned to...
, was released on 6 July 2009, and held the number-two position for its first five weeks on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. On 17 January 2010, the album reached the top position, after being on the chart for twenty-eight consecutive weeks. As of October 2010, the album had been in the top forty in the United Kingdom for sixty-five consecutive weeks, making it one of the best-selling albums of 2009 and 2010.
Lungs won the MasterCard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
British Album award at the 2010 BRIT Awards
2010 BRIT Awards
The 2010 BRIT Awards took place on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV1, hosted by Peter Kay with Fearne...
. At the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
, Florence and the Machine was nominated for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
. Additionally, the band performed at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert
Nobel Peace Prize Concert
The Nobel Peace Prize Concert has been held annually since 1994 on 11 December, one day after the date of Alfred Nobel's death, to honour the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The award ceremony on 10 December takes place in the Oslo City Hall, while the concert is in the Oslo Spektrum Arena, with the...
.
The group's second album, Ceremonials
Ceremonials
Ceremonials is the second studio album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2011 by Island Records. The album is noted for having a larger, more baroque pop sound than its predecessor, Lungs, with critics drawing comparisons to art rock...
, was released in October 2011 and debuted strongly, entering at number 1 in both the UK and Irish charts, and reaching the top 10 in the United States.
Florence Welch
Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28 August 1986 in CamberwellCamberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
), age 25 is the daughter of Evelyn Welch, a Harvard-educated Professor of Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
Studies and Academic Dean of Arts at Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and Nick Welch, an advertising executive. Florence is also the niece of the satirist Craig Brown
Craig Brown (satirist)
Craig Edward Moncrieff Brown is a British critic and satirist from England, probably best known for his work in Private Eye.-Biography:...
. and granddaughter of former deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph and former Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
parliamentary sketchwriter Colin Welch. Nick contributed a "rock and roll element to the family mix"; in his 20s he used to live in the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
squat and attended the Squatters' Ball organised by Heathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams is an English poet, actor and award-winning playwright. He is also an intermittent painter, sculptor and long-time conjuror...
where The 101ers
The 101ers
The 101ers were a pub rock band from the 1970s, notable as being the band that Joe Strummer left to join The Clash. Formed in London in May 1974, the 101ers made their performing debut on 7 September at the Telegraph pub in Brixton, under the name El Huaso and the 101 All Stars. The name would...
played regularly. Nick claims to have "nudged Flo ... to listen to The Ramones rather than Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
". Florence claims that her mother also had a strong influence on her: after a visit to one of her mother's lectures as a teenager, Florence explained, "I aspire to something like that but with music. I hope that my music has some of the big themes — sex, death, love, violence — that will still be part of the human story in 200 years' time."
Welch was educated at Thomas's London Day School
Thomas's London Day Schools
Thomas's London Day Schools are four private preparatory schools in London, UK. They are located in Kensington, Battersea, Clapham and Fulham, as well as two Kindergartens in Battersea and Pimlico...
then went onto Alleyn's School
Alleyn's School
Alleyn's School is an independent, fee-paying co-educational day school situated in Dulwich, south London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of the historic Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation, which also included James Allen's Girls' School , Dulwich...
, South East London
South East (London sub region)
The South East is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. The sub region was established in 2008. The south east has a population of 1,300,000 and is the location of 500,000 jobs...
, where she did well academically. She often got in trouble in school for impromptu singing. Welch has been diagnosed with dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and dyspraxia. Following her meteoric rise to fame, she suffered a bout of depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
. Upon leaving school, Welch studied at Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, and is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost art and design institutions. It is located in Camberwell, South London, England, with two sites situated at Peckham Road and Wilson Road...
before dropping out to focus on music. Welch's fascination with terror and doom was intensified by the death of her grandparents within a few years of each other. At the age 10 Welch witnessed her grandfather's deterioration, and her maternal grandmother, also an art historian, committed suicide when Welch was 14. When Welch was 13 years old, she and her mother moved in with their next door neighbour and his three teenage children. According to Welch: "We get on brilliantly now, but it was a nightmare then. I just used to stay in my room and dance around."
Welch contributed vocals to David Byrne
David Byrne
David Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
and Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
's 2010 album Here Lies Love
Here Lies Love
Here Lies Love is a concept album and rock musical made in collaboration between David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos along with the woman who raised her—Estrella Cumpas—and follows Marcos until she and her family were forced to leave...
, an album about Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos
Imelda R. Marcos is a Filipino politician and widow of 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986...
. When discussing her fashion style, Welch said that "(f)or the stage, it's Lady of Shalott
The Lady of Shalott
"The Lady of Shalott" is a Victorian ballad by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson . Like his other early poems – "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere" and "Galahad" – the poem recasts Arthurian subject matter loosely based on medieval sources.-Overview:Tennyson wrote two versions of the poem, one...
meets Ophelia
Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...
... mixed with scary gothic bat lady. But in real life I'm kind of prim."
As of January 2011, Welch was working with Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
on material slated for his upcoming record.
Welch has become a fashion icon, noticed for her red curls (although she is naturally a brunette) and a style that has been described as daring but nonchalant. As a teenager she read fashion magazines more often than music magazines. Early in her music career she dressed in a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
style. 2011 saw Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
dressing her for her summer tour and a performance at the Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
runway show at Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Paris, France with Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation...
. Welch describes 1970s American drag queen troupe Cockettes and French beatnik singer Françoise Hardy
Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music and style. She is married to the singer and movie actor Jacques Dutronc.-Biography:...
as fashion mentors. Welch has also named Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
as a musical, fashion, and general influence. A Huffington Post entertainment article quotes her as telling a reporter that "I'm pretty obsessed with Stevie Nicks from her style to her voice. I like watching her on YouTube and her old performances, the way she moves and everything."
From 2008, Welch had a relationship with Stuart Hammond, a literary editor: their temporary split provided inspiration for much of the Lungs
Lungs (album)
Lungs is the debut album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released 6 July 2009 by Island Records. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks after its release, behind The Essential Michael Jackson compilation. On 10 January 2010 the album returned to...
album. In 2011 the couple announced that they had broken up by mutual decision because of conflicting career demands: the breakup provided material for Florence and The Machine's second album.
The Machine
The name is attributed to Welch's teenage collaboration with Isabella "Machine" SummersIsabella Summers
Isabella Summers , also known as Isabella ‘Machine’ Summers, is a British songwriter, producer and member of British band, Florence and the Machine....
. Welch and Summers performed together for a time under the name Florence Robot/Isa Machine. Later, this was shortened to Florence and the Machine as it was felt to be too cumbersome. Welch continued using this name for her band even when Summers parted company with her for a time, although Summers later returned to become their regular keyboard player.
The current band members include musicians Robert Ackroyd (guitar and backing vocals), Chris Hayden (drums, percussion and backing vocals), Isabella Summers
Isabella Summers
Isabella Summers , also known as Isabella ‘Machine’ Summers, is a British songwriter, producer and member of British band, Florence and the Machine....
(keyboards and backing vocals), Mark Saunders (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Tom Monger (harp). In the past, Welch has praised the Machine for understanding her creative process, claiming, "I've worked with most of them for a long time and they know my style, know the way I write, they know what I want."
Early years
According to Welch, "The name Florence and the Machines started off as a private joke that got out of hand. I made music with my friend, who we called Isabella Machine to which I was Florence Robot. When I was about an hour away from my first gig, I still didn't have a name, so I thought 'Okay, I'll be Florence Robot/Isa Machine', before realising that name was so long it'd drive me mad." In 2006, Welch's performances with Summers in small London venues under the joint name Florence Robot/Isa Machine began to attract notice.In 2007, Welch recorded with a band named Ashok, who released an album titled Plans on the Filthy Lucre/About Records label. This album included the earliest version of her later hit "Kiss with a Fist
Kiss with a Fist
"Kiss with a Fist" is the debut single by indie pop band Florence and the Machine. It is featured on their debut2009 Mercury Prize-nominated album Lungs...
", which at this point was titled "Happy Slap". She signed a contract for Ashok with a manager, but feeling that she was "in the wrong band" she resigned, which cancelled the contract. Florence and the Machine are managed by Mairead Nash (one half of the DJ duo Queens of Noize
Queens of Noize
Queens of Noize are an English indie/disco or Wonky pop DJ duo based in London. The constituent members are Mairead Nash and Tabitha Denholm.-Career:...
), who decided to manage the singer when an inebriated Welch followed Nash into the toilets at a club and sang Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
' 1962 song "Something's Got a Hold on Me".
2008–10: Lungs
Florence and the Machine released their debut album LungsLungs (album)
Lungs is the debut album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released 6 July 2009 by Island Records. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks after its release, behind The Essential Michael Jackson compilation. On 10 January 2010 the album returned to...
in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2009. The album was officially launched with a set at the Rivoli Ballroom
Rivoli Ballroom
The Rivoli Ballroom is one of the few remaining ballrooms in London, England. It is at 350 Brockley Road London SE4 2BY, opposite Crofton Park overground rail station. It started life as the Crofton Park Picture Palace in July 1913 and was converted into a ballroom in 1957, reopening in 1959 with...
in Brockley, South East London. It peaked at number one in the UK and number two in Ireland. As of 6 August 2009, the album had sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and by 10 August it had been at number two for five consecutive weeks. Following its 25 July 2009 release for download in the United States, the album debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart, ultimately peaking at number one. The album was released physically in the US on 20 October by Universal Republic
Universal Republic
Universal Republic Records is a record label, owned by Universal Music Group. It is based on the now-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman...
. The album was produced by James Ford
James Ford (musician)
James Ford is an English musical composer, record producer and musician.-Biography:Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and currently a member of their spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco...
, Paul Epworth
Paul Epworth
Paul Epworth is an award-winning British music producer, musician, and songwriter. His production credits include Adele, Cee Lo Green, Florence and the Machine, Plan B, Friendly Fires, Bloc Party, Primal Scream, The Rapture, Jack Peñate, Kate Nash and Maxïmo Park.-Lomax:From 2002-2004 Paul provided...
, Steve Mackey
Steve Mackey
Steve Mackey is a British musician and record producer best known for playing bass guitar in the band Pulp. He also played bass for Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker in the latter's solo career, and worked as a songwriter and producer with artists such as M.I.A...
and Charlie Hugall. Much of the material on the album was written as reaction to what turned out to be a temporary break-up with Welch's current boyfriend. Welch says, "He prefers me not to talk about it. It's funny then singing about it."
"Kiss with a Fist
Kiss with a Fist
"Kiss with a Fist" is the debut single by indie pop band Florence and the Machine. It is featured on their debut2009 Mercury Prize-nominated album Lungs...
" was released as the album's lead single on 9 June 2008. The track was featured on the soundtrack to the films Wild Child, Jennifer's Body
Jennifer's Body
Jennifer's Body is a 2009 black comedy horror film written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama. The film stars Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, and Adam Brody. Fox portrays a newly-possessed teenage serial killer specializing in killing her male classmates as her best friend...
, and St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, as well as in the television series 90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
and Saving Grace
Saving Grace (TV series)
Saving Grace is an American television crime drama series which premiered on TNT on July 23, 2007 and ran until June 21, 2010. The show stars Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter in her first television series, as well as Leon Rippy, Kenny Johnson, Laura San Giacomo, Bailey Chase, Bokeem Woodbine,...
. Follow-up single "Dog Days Are Over
Dog Days Are Over
"Dog Days Are Over" is the second single released by Florence and the Machine from their debut album Lungs. It was originally scheduled for release on November 24, 2008 through Moshi Moshi Records in the UK but was later pushed back for release on December 1, 2008...
", released on 1 December 2008, was recorded with no instruments in a studio the "size of a loo
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
". The song was used in the American television series Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
, Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
and Covert Affairs
Covert Affairs
Covert Affairs is a USA Network television series starring Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham. The one-hour drama premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The show concluded its first season on September 14, 2010 and was renewed for a second season on August 19, 2010. The second season began airing on...
, in the British television series Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
, and in the theatrical trailer for the 2010 comedy-drama film Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
. "Dog Days Are Over" was also featured in the Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
episode "Special Education
Special Education (Glee)
"Special Education" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 31st episode overall. It was written by series creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Paris Barclay, and aired on Fox in the United States on November 30, 2010...
", where it was covered by Jenna Ushkowitz and Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
. "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
"Rabbit Heart " is a 2009 single by British indie rock band, Florence and the Machine. It was released on the Universal Island Record Label and Moshi Moshi Records on 21 June 2009. It is their second most successful single to-date, peaking at 12 on the UK Singles Chart, only bettered by the cover...
" was released on 22 June 2009 as the third single from the album. Part of the song's melody, as well as the lyric "How quickly the glamour fades", were lifted from New York band Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance is an American experimental music band based in Manhattan, New York City. The band is known for its distinctive sound which features synthesized electronics and percussion, plus the varied vocal styles of singer Lizzi Bougatsos...
's 2008 song "House Jam" without credit on the Lungs liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
. Members of group noticed this and brought it to the attention of Florence and the Machine's label. Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
acknowledged infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
and agreed to pay Gang Gang Dance a share of the song's publishing royalties. Welch agreed that she erred and said her intent was to pay homage.
After the release of Lungs, "Drumming Song
Drumming Song
"Drumming Song" is the fourth single released from Lungs, the 2009 debut album by Florence and the Machine. The song was released on Island Records on 13 September 2009 in the UK. The song is also the band's second consecutive single to be A-listed on BBC Radio 1...
" and a cover of The Source
The Source (musician)
The Source originally started out as an alias of unknown origin for Source Records's 1986 single release "You Got the Love" which featured Candi Staton. In 1989, DJ Eren, put Candi Staton's vocals over a track by Jamie Principle called "Your Love" which became a club hit. This was also released on...
and Candi Staton
Candi Staton
Candi Staton is an American soul and gospel singer, best known for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" and her 1976 disco hit "Young Hearts Run Free". In 2007, Staton was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
's 1986 song "You've Got the Love" were released as singles, the latter of which also went on to become part of a mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
titled "You Got the Dirtee Love" between Welch and English rapper Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
. The two performed the mashup together at the 2010 BRIT Awards
2010 BRIT Awards
The 2010 BRIT Awards took place on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV1, hosted by Peter Kay with Fearne...
on 16 February 2010 and the recorded performance was subsequently released as a single the following day.
On 5 January 2010, "Hurricane Drunk" was originally announced as the next single from the album. However, on 3 March a re-release of "Dog Days Are Over" was announced on the band's website; it was released digitally on 11 April 2010 and on 7" vinyl the following day, coinciding with the release of a brand-new video. "Cosmic Love
Cosmic Love
"Cosmic Love" is a song by Florence and the Machine, and the sixth single from the album Lungs. The single was released through Moshi Moshi Records on July 5, 2010 in the UK....
" was released on 5 July 2010 as the sixth and final single from Lungs, with a music video having already been shot. The song was featured in several American television shows, including Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
, The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...
, V
V (2009 TV series)
V is an American science fiction television series that ran for two seasons on ABC, from November 3, 2009 to March 15, 2011. A remake of the 1983 miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson, the new series chronicles the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species which ostensibly comes...
, Nikita
Nikita (TV series)
La Femme Nikita is a Canadian action/drama television series based on the French film Nikita by Luc Besson. The series was co-produced by Jay Firestone of Fireworks Entertainment and Warner Brothers. It was adapted for television by Joel Surnow...
and So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
. The band also made a guest appearance in the 7 February 2011 episode of Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (season 4)
The fourth season of Gossip Girl, an American teen drama based upon the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar. Developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The CW officially renewed the series for a full fourth season on February 16, 2010...
, titled "Panic Roommate", where they performed an acoustic rendition of "Cosmic Love". On 12 May 2010, it was announced that Florence and the Machine would provide a track called "Heavy in Your Arms
Heavy in Your Arms
"Heavy in Your Arms" is a song by British act Florence and the Machine. Written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, the song was initially recorded and included on the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack, but later released as a single on 15 November 2010 in order to promote the re-release of...
" for the soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (soundtrack)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is the soundtrack album to the film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. It is the third soundtrack in the film's chronology, and was released on June 8, 2010. The soundtrack was once again co-produced by Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor for the previous two films...
, the third film of The Twilight Saga
The Twilight Saga (film series)
The Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
. Eclipse was released in cinemas on 30 June 2010, with "Heavy in Your Arms" playing during the end credits. The music video followed on 7 July 2010.
2010–present: Ceremonials
Initially, Welch considered offers from the band's record label to record their second album in to work with writers and producers in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, but ultimately decided to record the album in the UK. The first demo session occurred in January 2010 with Welch and Paul Epworth
Paul Epworth
Paul Epworth is an award-winning British music producer, musician, and songwriter. His production credits include Adele, Cee Lo Green, Florence and the Machine, Plan B, Friendly Fires, Bloc Party, Primal Scream, The Rapture, Jack Peñate, Kate Nash and Maxïmo Park.-Lomax:From 2002-2004 Paul provided...
at a small London studio. Numerous producers expressed an interest in working on the album but Welch rejected the offers because she wanted Ceremonials to be a better version of Lungs with a "more dark, more heavy, bigger drum sounds, bigger bass, but with more of a whole sound". For the rest of the year work on the album continued only intermittently as the band concentrated on an extensive tour of the United States, where Lungs had become popular.
The majority of the writing for the album was done between January and April of 2011, with recording taking place in April at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
. Refinement took place at Epworth's own London studios while Welch recorded vocal tracks in various US studios, during days off from touring. The final recording session took place in July at Epworth's studio.
Epworth co-wrote seven tracks. Several other British writers share credits on the album, including Summers, Kid Harpoon
Kid Harpoon
Kid Harpoon is an English singer-songwriter and musician.- Career :Originally hailing from Chatham, Kid Harpoon began to play live locally at venues such as The Tap & Tin and Command House...
, James Ford
James Ford (musician)
James Ford is an English musical composer, record producer and musician.-Biography:Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and currently a member of their spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco...
and composer Eg White
Eg White
Francis Anthony "Eg" White is a British musician, songwriter and producer. White is primarily known for his work with successful commercial pop acts such as Adele, Duffy, Will Young and James Morrison...
.
In June 2011 a cover of the Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
classic "Not Fade Away
Not Fade Away (song)
"Not Fade Away" is a song credited to Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and first recorded by Holly's band The Crickets in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957...
," which Florence and the Machine recorded for the tribute album Rave On Buddy Holly
Rave on Buddy Holly
Rave On Buddy Holly is a compilation album by various artists released on June 28, 2011 through Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group and Hear Music. The title of the tribute album to musician Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash in 1959 at age 22, refers to the song "Rave On", one of his biggest...
tied to Holly's seventy-fifth birthday year, was released and they debuted Ceremonials's setup track "What the Water Gave Me
What the Water Gave Me
"What the Water Gave Me" is a song by Florence and the Machine, and the first song released from their second studio album, Ceremonials . It was written by Florence Welch with Francis White and produced by Paul Epworth. After the band performed the song in Berkeley, California on 12 June, 2011, the...
" at the Greek Theatre
Hearst Greek Theatre
The William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, known locally as simply the Greek Theatre, is an 8,500-seat amphitheater owned and operated by the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California, USA....
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
In August 2011, the single "What the Water Gave Me
What the Water Gave Me
"What the Water Gave Me" is a song by Florence and the Machine, and the first song released from their second studio album, Ceremonials . It was written by Florence Welch with Francis White and produced by Paul Epworth. After the band performed the song in Berkeley, California on 12 June, 2011, the...
" was released on iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
along with an accompanying video on the band's website and YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel. The video drew 1.5 million YouTube views in two days and the track received play on US alternative radio with strong support from Los Angeles radio station KROQ.
The single "Shake It Out" was released over the internet in September 2011, with standard release 11 October. In Australia, the song was playlisted at Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
and Nova
Nova (radio network)
Nova is a name given to a group of Australian radio stations. The group comprises five stations all owned by DMG Radio Australia, apart from the Perth station, which is a joint venture between DMG and the Australian Radio Network....
radio networks and received strong airplay in Scandinavia, Italy and Canada.
Ceremonials
Ceremonials
Ceremonials is the second studio album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2011 by Island Records. The album is noted for having a larger, more baroque pop sound than its predecessor, Lungs, with critics drawing comparisons to art rock...
was released on 31 October 2011. It reached the #1 album spot in the UK on its first week of release and the #6 album spot in the United States.
Controversy
Welch has recently come under fire regarding the video for her song "No Light, No Light". Various media outlets and members of the public claim that the video, which includes the use of black faceBlack Face
Black Face is the south wall of an east-west ridge in Arena Valley, south of East Beacon, in the Quartermain Mountains, Victoria Land. The feature is a prominent landmark and is formed by a dolerite dike which rises over above the floor of the valley...
and erroneous representations of Vodou
Vodou
Vodun or Vudun is an indigenous organised religion of coastal West Africa from Nigeria to Ghana...
. No official statement from Welch or her label regarding these accusations has been released at this time. Fans, in general, have reacted negatively to these claims, describing them "nonsensical" and "dull". They also have said these allegations are just misinterpretations of the concept the videos englobe and they never intended to offend or discriminate any ethnic group or culture.
Performances
Florence and the Machine burst onto the London scene playing a handful of gigs in and around London for the likes of The Lock Tavern, Blue Flowers and Filthy Fews. In August 2007, the band performed at the debut year of the 1-2-3-4 Shoreditch Festival, performing alongside LightSpeed ChampionLightspeed Champion
Devonté Hynes , better known as Lightspeed Champion or Blood Orange, is a British composer, songwriter, producer and author, who has written for artists such as Florence and the Machine, Diana Vickers and The Chemical Brothers on their 2007 Grammy award winning album We Are The Night...
on the MySpace Main Stage which was hosted by manager Nash's DJ double act, Queens of Noize. In May 2008, they supported MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
on tour in Europe. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
played a large part in Florence and the Machine's rise to prominence by promoting her as part of BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing is the brand for new music programmes across the BBC radio stations, showcasing unsigned, self signed and other emerging musical talent primarily from the UK. Launched in 2007 the Introducing brand brings programming from across the BBC under a unified brand with each show retaining...
. This led to them playing music festivals in 2008, including Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival 2008
The 2008 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 25 to 29 June 2008.-New features:* The John Peel stage doubled in size and had a screen outside it to watch bands.* There was a new 'Shangri-La' area that replaced Lost Vagueness...
, Reading and Leeds
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
and Bestival
Bestival 2008
The Bestival 2008 was the fifth instalment of the Bestival a boutique music festival at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. The festival was held between 5–7 September 2008 and over 30,000 people attended....
. Florence and the Machine were also part of the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2009
NME Tours
The NME Tours consist of a variety of tours organised by British music industry publication NME. Throughout the year, NME sponsors numerous tours of the United Kingdom by various up-and-coming and established bands in a variety of formats...
in January and February.
The group played the Concerts for Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage patients, who are involved in their concept and creation...
charity event at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in March 2009. Florence and The Machine supported Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
for their 26 June comeback performance at the M.E.N. Arena
Manchester Evening News Arena
The Manchester Evening News Arena is an indoor arena situated in Manchester, England. It is adjacent to Manchester Victoria station near Corporation Street...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. They played at the Lovebox Festival
Lovebox Festival
Lovebox is a three-day music festival held in Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, London. The event has been running since 2002 and was founded by DJs Groove Armada...
on 18 and 19 July. In July 2009, the group was supporting Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
. They performed at the Glastonbury Festival 2009
Glastonbury Festival 2009
The 2009 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 24–29 June 2009.- Registration :In a similar way to previous festivals, tickets for the 2009 event required pre-registration through the festival website...
, the Reading and Leeds 2009, Electric Picnic 2009
Electric Picnic 2009
Electric Picnic 2009 was the sixth edition of the Electric Picnic festival to take place. The three-day event took place on the weekend of Friday September 4, Saturday September 5 and Sunday September 6 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland...
and T in the Park 2009
T in the Park 2009
T in the Park 2009 was the sixteenth T in the Park festival to take place since 1994. It took place on the weekend of Friday 10th July, Saturday 11th July and Sunday 12th July at Balado, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland...
.
Florence and the Machine played at Australia's Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...
music festival in July 2010. The group drew one of the biggest crowds of the three-day festival. They performed in the natural open-air amphitheater, which had to be closed off by security due to safety concerns as an unprecedented number of festivalgoers rushed to see the performance. It is estimated that 28,000 people of the 33,000 people that attended the festival crammed in to see Florence and the Machine. The amphitheater was reopened shortly after the start, once the safety fear was over. In October 2009, the band's equipment and instruments were caught in a trailer fire during their European tour, forcing the band to use rented instruments to complete their remaining shows. Welch stated, "You could hear the harp's strings ping in the fire. Strange sound. We recorded it and I want to use it in a song."
On 27 October 2009, Florence and the Machine played their first official New York City gig at the Bowery Ballroom
Bowery Ballroom
The Bowery Ballroom is a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. The structure, at 6 Delancey Street, was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of WWII, when it became a high-end retail store. The neighborhood subsequently went into decline...
, and performed "Kiss with a Fist" on The Late Show with David Letterman. On 5 November, the band performed "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Welch stated although she would like to tour the United States, she is fearful of becoming homesick due to the time it would take to tour the country.
After the success of Lungs topping the UK Albums Chart in January 2010, seven months after the album was released, Florence and the Machine announced an eleven-date UK and Ireland tour called The Cosmic Love Tour in May 2010. Support acts include Babe Shadow and The Drums
The Drums
The Drums are an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, NY with members stemming from the shortlived band Elkland . The band is currently on the Moshi Moshi/Island , Universal and Frenchkiss labels.-Formation:...
. Florence and the Machine performed at Oxegen 2010
Oxegen 2010
Oxegen 2010 was the seventh Oxegen festival to take place since 2004. It took place on the weekend of Friday 9 July, Saturday, 10 July and Sunday, 11 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, Ireland. Eminem, Muse and Arcade Fire headlined...
, T in the Park 2010
T in the Park 2010
T in the Park 2010 was a music festival that took place in Balado, Scotland from 8–11 July 2010. It was the seventeenth event to take place. The festival was headlined by Kasabian, Muse and Eminem. Tickets for the event sold out on 26 February 2010.-Tickets:...
, the Isle of Wight Festival 2010
Isle of Wight Festival 2010
The Isle of Wight Festival 2010 was the ninth revived Isle of Wight Festival to be held at Seaclose Park in Newport on the Isle of Wight. The event ran from 11 until 13 June 2010...
, Roskilde Festival 2010
Roskilde Festival 2010
Roskilde Festival 2010 was held on July 1-July 4 with warmup from June 26. For the 2010 edition of Roskilde Festival, they decided to close down the Astoria stage.-New features:...
, V Festival 2010
V Festival 2010
- Line-Up :Line Up according to the official V Festival programme....
, and the San Miguel Primavera Sound 2010. In March 2010, it was that confirmed that the band's first headlining festival would be Latitude 2010, having been booked the previous September before achieving mainstream success.
The Cosmic Love Tour kicked off at Dublin's Olympia Theatre on 2 May 2010 where the group debuted a new song called "Strangeness and Charm" and ended at London's Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
on 15 May 2010. On 25 June, the group played the Glastonbury Festival 2010
Glastonbury Festival 2010
The 2010 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts took place in Pilton, Somerset, England in June 2010.The festival was headlined by Gorillaz, Muse, and Stevie Wonder. U2 were initially announced as headliners, but withdrew on 25 May 2010 citing Bono's recent back surgery...
, where they performed "Strangeness and Charm" and a cover of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
's "The Chain
The Chain
"The Chain" is a song from Fleetwood Mac's best-selling album Rumours. "The Chain" is unique in being the only song credited to all five members of the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac lineup: Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Stevie Nicks; this is partly because John McVie...
" during their ten-song set. Their performance drew one of the biggest crowds of the day and one of the biggest in the Other Stage's history.
Welch and Dizzee Rascal's performance of a mashup version of the band's single "You've Got the Love" and Dizzee's single "Dirtee Cash
Dirtee Cash
"Dirtee Cash" is a song recorded by British rapper Dizzee Rascal and was released as the fourth single from his fourth studio album Tongue N' Cheek. It was released digitally on 21 September 2009 and follows his number-one hits "Holiday" and "Bonkers"...
", titled "You Got the Dirtee Love", at the 2010 BRIT Awards on 16 February 2010 was described as "a definite highlight of the evening". This collaboration was released as a charity single the following day, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. She reprised the performance when she joined Dizzee on stage during his performance at the Glastonbury Festival 2010. Florence and the Machine opened for U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
on the North American leg of their U2 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
in June and July 2011.
International appearances solo and as a group
In an interview with New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
s PopWrap, Welch revealed that, in the weeks and months prior to her 12 September performance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...
, was so nervous she lost sleep and cried. In addition, she struggled during the pre-show rehearsal with a move that required her to stand up on a rotating platform. The performance was directed by So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
choreographer Travis Wall
Travis Wall
Travis Michael Wall , an American dancer and dance instructor specializing in contemporary dance and jazz dance. He is best known for his 2006 appearance as a competitor on the second season of the television show So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on the Fox Network. As of 2009, he is...
and had Welch performing with a host of hyperactive dancers. It was described as "both ethereal and downright joyous". After the performance, Lungs rose to number two on the iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
albums chart and "Dog Days Are Over" rose to number nine on the iTunes singles chart. In addition, Florence and the Machine became the number-one search on Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and received 1,700 tweets per minute on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Florence and the Machine performed "Dogs Days Are Over" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
on 15 October 2010. On 20 November 2010, the band performed "Dog Days Are Over" and "You've Got the Love" on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. They performed an online-only concert at New York City's Ed Sullivan Theater
Ed Sullivan Theater
The Ed Sullivan Theater, located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th, in Manhattan, is a venerable radio and television studio in New York City...
on 16 December 2010 as part of the Live on Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
concert series. Welch and a number of other female singers opened the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
on 13 February 2011 with a tribute to an ailing Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
. On 27 February 2011, Welch replaced pregnant Dido
Dido (singer)
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...
and sang her portion of Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
nominee "If I Rise
If I Rise
"If I Rise" is a song performed by A. R. Rahman and Dido, composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Dido and Rollo Armstrong. The song featured as the main theme for the Danny Boyle film 127 Hours, and was released as the first and only single from the album's soundtrack...
" (from 127 Hours
127 Hours
127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003....
) with A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
at the 83rd Academy Awards
83rd Academy Awards
The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2010 and took place February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, Academy Awards ...
. An exclusive remix of "I'm Not Calling You a Liar" is featured in the 2011 video game Dragon Age II
Dragon Age II
Dragon Age II is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studios, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major game in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise...
as "I'm Not Calling You a Liar (Dragon Age II: Varric's Theme)", produced by the game's composer Inon Zur
Inon Zur
Inon Zur is an Israeli American music composer who has won several awards for his work. Originally writing for movies and television, he later moved into composing for video games. He has been described as being "internationally recognized as one of the A-list orchestral composers in the video...
.
Two years of worldwide touring
Ceremonials Tour
Ceremonials Tour is the second concert tour by English Alternative Rock band Florence and the Machine. The tour will include numerous performances at music festivals as this is lead singer Florence Welch's favorite way to perform live. Welch plans to spend around two years promoting and touring for...
are scheduled to promote Ceremonials.
Style and influences
Florence Welch has been compared to other female singers Kate BushKate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
, PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
, and Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
.
Florence and the Machine's style has been described as "dark, robust and romantic". Their music is a mix of "classic soul and midnight-on-the-moors English art rock". Florence Welch stated that her lyrics related to Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
artists : "We're dealing with all of the same things they did : love and death, time and pain, heaven and hell".
Response from critics
Florence and the Machine won the Critic's Choice Award at the 2009 BRIT Awards2009 BRIT Awards
The 2009 BRIT Awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 18 February 2009. It was the 29th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, and was broadcast live on ITV1 on 18 February at 8pm...
after coming third in the BBC's Sound of 2009 poll. As well as attention from the BBC, the band received significant support from NME magazine, who included them on their annual Shockwaves NME Awards Tour for 2009, along with Glasvegas
Glasvegas
Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan , Rab Allan , Paul Donoghue and Jonna Löfgren . The band received critical acclaim for their debut album Glasvegas which was released in September 2008, reaching No...
, Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires are an English band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008 and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelve for the 2009 Mercury Prize on 21 July 2009.-History:Friendly Fires...
and White Lies
White Lies (band)
White Lies is an English indie rock band from Ealing, London. Formerly known as Fear of Flying, the band consists primarily of Harry McVeigh , Charles Cave , and Jack Lawrence-Brown...
.
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
described Welch as "the most peculiar and most highly acclaimed female singer of the moment" and "the latest in a line of great English pop eccentrics". Allmusic referred to Lungs as "one of the most musically mature and emotionally mesmerising albums of 2009". Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine rated Lungs eight out of ten and wrote, "You've gotta hand it to the girl: She always makes you feel something." The magazine named it the eighth best album of 2009. In December 2010, Florence and the Machine appeared on one of Spins three holiday issue covers as Artist of the Year.
Florence and the Machine won the MasterCard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
British Album award for Lungs at the 2010 BRIT Awards
2010 BRIT Awards
The 2010 BRIT Awards took place on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV1, hosted by Peter Kay with Fearne...
, having also been nominated for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act. On 19 February 2010, Florence and the Machine won Best International Band at the 2010 Meteor Awards
2010 Meteor Awards
The 2010 Meteor Music Awards ceremony took place on Friday February 19, 2010 in Dublin. They were presented by Amanda Byram. The launch took place in La Stampa on January 7, 2010 and was attended by The Coronas and Danny O'Donoghue from The Script....
. The group led the nominations for the 2010 MOJO Awards
MOJO Awards
The MOJO Awards is an awards ceremony that began in 2004 by Mojo, a popular music magazine published monthly by Bauer in the United Kingdom...
, with four nods. They received a nomination for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
at the 53rd Grammy Awards. In April 2011, Florence and the Machine were ranked 51 in the 2011 Time 100
Time 100
Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as assembled by Time. First published in 1999 as a result of a debate among several academics, the list has become an annual event.-History and format:...
poll, which annually lists the 100 most influential people in the world.
Discography
- LungsLungs (album)Lungs is the debut album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released 6 July 2009 by Island Records. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks after its release, behind The Essential Michael Jackson compilation. On 10 January 2010 the album returned to...
(2009) - CeremonialsCeremonialsCeremonials is the second studio album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2011 by Island Records. The album is noted for having a larger, more baroque pop sound than its predecessor, Lungs, with critics drawing comparisons to art rock...
(2011)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organisation | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | BBC Sound of 2009 | Florence and the Machine | Sound of 2009 | Third place |
| BRIT Awards 2009 BRIT Awards The 2009 BRIT Awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 18 February 2009. It was the 29th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, and was broadcast live on ITV1 on 18 February at 8pm... |
Critic's Choice Award | |||
| Mercury Prize Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British... |
Lungs Lungs (album) Lungs is the debut album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released 6 July 2009 by Island Records. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks after its release, behind The Essential Michael Jackson compilation. On 10 January 2010 the album returned to... |
Mercury Prize | ||
| Studio8 Media International Music Award | Florence and the Machine | Female Voice of July 2009 | ||
| "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) "Rabbit Heart " is a 2009 single by British indie rock band, Florence and the Machine. It was released on the Universal Island Record Label and Moshi Moshi Records on 21 June 2009. It is their second most successful single to-date, peaking at 12 on the UK Singles Chart, only bettered by the cover... " |
Song of July 2009 | |||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Florence and the Machine | Best UK and Ireland New Act | ||
| Q Awards Q Awards The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event... |
Lungs | Best Album | ||
| "Drumming Song Drumming Song "Drumming Song" is the fourth single released from Lungs, the 2009 debut album by Florence and the Machine. The song was released on Island Records on 13 September 2009 in the UK. The song is also the band's second consecutive single to be A-listed on BBC Radio 1... " |
Best Video | |||
| Florence and the Machine | Breakthrough Artist | |||
| UK Festival Awards UK Festival Awards The UK Festival Awards are awarded annually, with various categories for all aspects of festivals that have taken place in the UK, and one category for European festivals. The Awards were first established in 2004, and are produced by Virtual Festivals.com. They are voted for by the public via the... |
Best Breakthrough Act | |||
| "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" | Anthem of the Year | |||
| Florence and the Machine | Festival Fitty of the Year – Girls | |||
| UK Music Video Awards UK Music Video Awards The UK Music Video Awards is an annual celebration of creativity, technical excellence and innovation in music video and moving image for music.... |
"Drumming Song" | Best Pop Video | ||
| Best Styling in a Video | ||||
| "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" | ||||
| 2010 | South Bank Show The South Bank Show The South Bank Show was a television arts magazine show, originally made by London Weekend Television , presented by Melvyn Bragg, broadcast on ITV and seen in over 60 countries worldwide — including Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States... |
Florence and the Machine | South Bank Show Award | |
| BRIT Awards 2010 BRIT Awards The 2010 BRIT Awards took place on Tuesday 16 February 2010. It was the 30th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV1, hosted by Peter Kay with Fearne... |
British Female Solo Artist | |||
| British Breakthrough Act | ||||
| Lungs | MasterCard MasterCard Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States... British Album |
|||
| Glamour Women of the Year Awards Glamour (magazine) Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood.... |
Florence and The Machine | Band of The Year | ||
| Meteor Music Awards 2010 Meteor Awards The 2010 Meteor Music Awards ceremony took place on Friday February 19, 2010 in Dublin. They were presented by Amanda Byram. The launch took place in La Stampa on January 7, 2010 and was attended by The Coronas and Danny O'Donoghue from The Script.... |
Lungs | Best International Album | ||
| Florence and the Machine | Best International Band | |||
| Best International Live Performance | ||||
| Elle Style Awards Elle style awards -2011:*Best International Designer - Tom Ford*Breakthrough Talent - Noomi Rapace*Best British Designer - Christopher Kane*Best Model - Coco Rocha*Best Actor - Stephen Dorff*Best Actress - Natalie Portman*Best TV Star - Blake Lively... |
Musician of the Year | |||
| Shockwaves NME Awards NME Awards The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine.... |
Best Solo Artist | |||
| "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" | Best Track | |||
| "You've Got the Love" | Best Dancefloor Filler | |||
| Florence Welch | Best Dressed | |||
| MOJO Awards MOJO Awards The MOJO Awards is an awards ceremony that began in 2004 by Mojo, a popular music magazine published monthly by Bauer in the United Kingdom... |
Florence and the Machine | Breakthrough Act | ||
| Best Live Act | ||||
| "You've Got the Love" | Song of the Year | |||
| Lungs | Best Album | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards 2010 MTV Video Music Awards The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year... |
"Dog Days Are Over Dog Days Are Over "Dog Days Are Over" is the second single released by Florence and the Machine from their debut album Lungs. It was originally scheduled for release on November 24, 2008 through Moshi Moshi Records in the UK but was later pushed back for release on December 1, 2008... " |
Video of the Year MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been... |
||
| Best Rock Video MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video was first given out in , and it was one of the four original genre categories added to the VMAs that year. That year, though, the award was called the Best Heavy Metal Video. From 1990 to 1995, the award was called the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, and... |
||||
| Best Art Direction in a Video MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Direction in a Video. In 2007, the award was briefly renamed Best Director, but it returned to its original name for the 2008 awards.... |
||||
| Best Cinematography in a Video MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Cinematography in a Video. Madonna is the biggest Winner in this category with 3 wins.... |
||||
| BT Digital Music Awards BT Digital Music Awards The BT Digital Music Awards were created in the UK in 2001 and are held annually. Music industry professionals can nominate artists, venues and hardware into the Judge's Choice award categories... |
Florence and the Machine | Best Female Artist | ||
| "You've Got the Love" | Best Song | |||
| Q Awards | Florence and the Machine | Best Female | ||
| "You've Got the Love" | Best Song | |||
| UK Music Video Awards | "Dog Days Are Over" | Best Pop Video | ||
| Best Styling in a Video | ||||
| UK Festival Awards | "You've Got the Love" | Anthem of the Year | ||
| Florence and the machine | Feel-Good Act of the Summer | |||
| 4Music 4Music 4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and... Video Honours |
"Dog Days Are Over" | Best Video of 2010 | ||
| European Festival Awards | "You've Got the Love" | Anthem of the Year | ||
| Florence and the Machine | Best Newcomer | |||
| 2011 | Grammy Awards 53rd Grammy Awards The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were... |
Best New Artist Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967... |
||
| Virgin Media Virgin Media Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom... Music Awards |
Hottest Women | |||
| Florence and the Machine with Dizzee Rascal | Best Collaboration | |||
| "Dog Days Are Over" | Best Video | |||
| Florence Welch | Best Live Act | |||
| Shameless Publicity Seeker | ||||
| BRIT Awards 2011 BRIT Awards The 2011 BRIT Awards was held on Tuesday 15 February 2011.It was the 31st edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The award ceremony was held at The O2 Arena... |
"You've Got the Love" | Best British Single | ||
| Shockwaves NME Awards | Florence and the Machine | Best Solo Artist | ||
| International Dance Music Awards Winter Music Conference The Winter Music Conference is a weeklong electronic music conference, held every March since the mid-1980s in Miami, Florida, United States. Venues are hosted primarily in Downtown Miami and Miami's South Beach... |
"Dog Days Are Over Dog Days Are Over "Dog Days Are Over" is the second single released by Florence and the Machine from their debut album Lungs. It was originally scheduled for release on November 24, 2008 through Moshi Moshi Records in the UK but was later pushed back for release on December 1, 2008... " (Yeasayer Remix) |
Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track | ||
| Florence and the Machine | Best Break-Through Artist (Group) | |||
| Glamour Women of the Year Awards | Best Band | |||
| Billboard Music Awards 2011 Billboard Music Awards The 2011 Billboard Music Awards were held May 22, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and hosted by Ken Jeong. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from 2010.... |
"Dog Days Are Over" | Top Rock Song | ||
| Top Alternative Song |