| 5th | Top indie pop artists |
| Florence and the Machine | |
|---|---|
 Florence and the Machine at Brixton Academy in London, 13 December 2009
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|
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Indie pop, alternative rock, experimental |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Island |
| Associated acts | Lightspeed Champion |
| Website | florenceandthemachine.net/ |
| Members | |
| Florence Welch Robert Ackroyd Christopher Lloyd Hayden Isabella Summers Tom Monger |
|
| Former members | |
| Devonte Hynes | |
Florence and the Machine (sometimes written as Florence + the Machine)[1] is the recording name of Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide backing music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including soul and indie rock.[2] The band's music has received praise across the music media before they gained mainstream success, especially from the BBC who played a large part in Florence and the Machine's rise to prominence by promoting her as part of BBC Introducing.[3]
The band's debut album, Lungs was released on 6 July 2009, and held the No. 2 position for its first five weeks in the UK Album Chart.[4] On 17 January 2010, the album reached No. 1 on the UK album chart, having remained in the chart for 28 consecutive weeks up until that point.[5] At the 2010 BRIT Awards, Lungs won the "Mastercard British Album" award.[6]
Contents |
Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28 August 1986 in London) is the daughter of Evelyn Welch, a Professor of Renaissance Studies and Academic Dean of Arts at Queen Mary University of London[7] an author and former Studio 54 regular, and Nick Welch, who works in advertising.[8] Welch enjoyed the the music of Madonna, Hole, Nirvana, Green Day, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, The Velvet Underground and Celine Dion.[8]
Florence was educated at Alleyn's School, South East London, the alma-mater of actor Jude Law, among others. Despite doing well academically,[8] Welch often didn't focus at school,[citation needed] and was often in trouble for improptu singing.[8] Welch has been diagnosed with dyslexia and dysmetria,[9] and believes she also suffers from OCD, ADD and insomnia.[8] Upon leaving school, Florence studied at Camberwell College of Arts before dropping out to focus on her music.[8]
Welch has stated that she would like to have a career similar to PJ Harvey and Björk who are "constantly creating new exciting stuff".[2] As a teenager, she was the frontwoman and guitarist for Toxic Cockroaches, a band that lasted a week,[10] and Ashok. Feeling she was in "the wrong band", Welch got out of a contract with Ashok by resigning.[8]
The Machine, the collective name for Welch's backing band and collaborators, comprises of many different members who are often dependent on Welch's requirements when performing.[11] Past members of the Machine have included Devonte Hynes, better known as Lightspeed Champion,[12] while the current line up includes Robert Ackroyd on guitar, Chris Hayden on drums, Isabella Summers (a.k.a. Machine) on keyboard and Tom Monger on 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.”[11]
According to Welch, "The name Florence and the Machine 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 is a Machine", before realizing that name was so long it'd drive me mad".[8][10] In 2006 Welch's performances in small London venues under the name "Florence Robot is a Machine" began to attract notice.
Florence and the Machine are managed by Mairead Nash, who decided to manage the singer when an inebriated Welch followed Nash into the toilets[8][9] and sang the Etta James song, "Something's Got A Hold On Me".[13]
Florence and the Machine released their debut album Lungs in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2009.[14] The album was officially launched with a set at the Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley, South East London. The album has peaked at the number 1 position in the UK and the number 13 position in Europe. As of 6 August the album had sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and by 10 August it had been at the number 2 position for five straight weeks.[15][16] Following its 25 July 2009 release for download in the United States the album debuted at the number 17 position on the Billboard "Heatseekers" chart.[17] The album was released physically in the U.S. on 20 October by Island Records.[18] The album was produced by James Ford, Paul Epworth, Steve Mackey and Charlie Hugall.[2] 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."[15]
The debut single for the album was "Kiss with a Fist" and featured on the soundtrack for the film Jennifer's Body.[19] The follow-up single, "Dog Days Are Over", was recorded with no instruments in a studio the "size of a loo".[20]
The third single from the album was "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)". 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 song House Jam without credit on 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.[21][22]
After the release of Lungs, the singles "Drumming Song"[23] and "You've Got The Love"[24] were released, the latter of which also went on to become part of a mash-up entitled "You Got the Dirtee Love" between Welch and British rapper, Dizzee Rascal. The two performed the mash-up together at the 2010 BRIT Awards and the recorded performance was subsequently released as a single the following day.[25][26]
In January 2010, "Hurricane Drunk" was originally announced as the next single from the album.[27] However, on 3 March a re-release of "Dog Days Are Over", the opening track from Lungs, was announced on the band's website. The single will be released digitally on 21 March, on 7" vinyl the following day and will have a new video released to coincide.[28]
In November 2009, Welch revealed to BBC Newsbeat that recording for her second album would begin in the following January, expressing her enthuasism to "start recording as soon as possible."[29] After beginning recording for her follow-up to Lungs, Welch remarked the sessions for her second album were both "a step forward" and "heavier in sound". Returning to the studio with producer Paul Epworth, the singer also described her new material as being "...a bit more fuzzy, a bit harder. If the first album was animal and anatomical I think this one is chemical and elemental."[30]
In NME Magazine, dated 20th March 2010, Florence revealed further details about her sophomore album. She confirmed she'd had been in the studio for "a two-week stint with producer Paul Epworth" She claims that much of the inspiration for the second album has been scientific because "a lot of her family are doctors or trying to become doctors, so much of her conversations are fixated on medical stuff." The stint in the studio resulted in two tracks being completed and a new sound being discovered, she revealed that on track that would feature on the album was called "Strangeness And Charm". Florence described the new sound as "dancey, but it's also dark as well" she explained that they also featured "relentless drums and heavy, droning bass." The album is due out in 2011.
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 Few.[31] In 2007, the band also performed at the debut year of the 1-2-3-4 Shoreditch Festival, performing alongside LightSpeed Champion on the MySpace Main Stage which was hosted by manager Nash's DJ double act, Queens of Noize.[9][32]
The BBC played a large part in Florence and the Machine's rise to prominence by promoting her as part of BBC Introducing.[3] This led to her playing music festivals in 2008, including Glastonbury as well as Reading and Leeds and T in the Park.
Florence and the Machine were part of the 2009 Shockwaves NME Awards tour. Welch said that she planned a "pretty theatrical" performance. Welch was planning to bring "as many weird clothes" as possible with the idea of deciding what to wear before going on stage.[citation needed]
The group played the Concerts for Teenage Cancer Trust charity event at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2009.[33] Florence and The Machine supported Blur for their 26 June comeback performance at the MEN Arena in Manchester.[34] They played at the Lovebox festival this July 18 and 19. In July 2009, the group was supporting Duran Duran.[10]
The group performed at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival, Reading and Leeds festival, Electric Picnic in County Laois, Ireland (for the second consecutive year) and the T in the Park festival.[35][36]
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.[37] Welch has 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.”[38]
On 27 October 2009, Florence and the Machine played their first official gig in New York City,[39] and appeared on the television programmes The Late Show With David Letterman[40] and Jimmy Kimmel Live![41] Welch has 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.[42]
On New Year's Eve 2009, the group appeared on the pre-recorded New Year's Eve celebration show Hootenanny. On the show, they performed "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" and "Dog Days Are Over". Welch then performed a cover of "My Baby Just Cares for Me" with Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.[43] 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 tour "The Cosmic Love Tour" in May 2010.[44] They will be accompanied by support acts Babe Shadow and The Drums.[44][45]
Florence and the Machine have been confirmed to be performing at Oxegen 2010,[46] T in the Park 2010[47] and V Festival 2010.[48][49] 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 their mainstream success.[50]
In early 2008 Welch was interviewed by London events website, Run-Riot.com.[9] Florence and the Machine collected the Critics' Choice Award at the 2009 BRIT Awards after coming third in the BBC's Sound of 2009.[51] As well as attention from the BBC, Welch received significant support from NME magazine who included her in their annual NME Awards Tour for 2009, in which she supported White Lies, Friendly Fires and Glasvegas on the tour.
The Times described her as "the most peculiar and most highly acclaimed female singer of the moment" and "the latest in a line of great English pop eccentrics".[8] Allmusic described Lungs as "one of the most musically mature and emotionally mesmerizing albums of 2009".[52] Spin Magazine gave Lungs four out of five stars and wrote, "You’ve gotta hand it to the girl: She always makes you feel something".[53] The magazine named the album as the 8th best of 2009.[54]
Florence and the Machine won the "Mastercard British Album" award at the 2010 BRIT Awards for Lungs,[55] having also been nominated for the "British Female Solo Artist"' and "British Breakthrough Act" awards.[56] On 19 February 2010, Florence and the Machine won "Best International Band" at the 2010 Meteor Awards.[57]
| Year | Organisation | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | BBC Sound of 2009 | Florence and the Machine | Sound of 2009 | Nominated Third place |
| 2009 BRIT Awards | Florence and the Machine | Critic's Choice | Won | |
| Mercury Prize 2009 | Lungs | Mercury Prize | Nominated | |
| Studio8 | Florence and the Machine | Female Voice of July 2009 | Won | |
| "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" | Song of July 2009 | Won | ||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Florence and the Machine | Best UK & Ireland New Act | Nominated | |
| Q Awards | Lungs | Best Album | Nominated | |
| "Drumming Song" | Best Video | Nominated | ||
| Florence and the Machine | Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | ||
| UK Festival Awards 2009 | Florence and the Machine | Best Breakthrough Act | Won | |
| 2010 | South Bank Show | Florence and the Machine | South Bank Show Award | Won |
| 2010 BRIT Awards | Florence and the Machine | British Female Solo Artist | Nominated | |
| Florence and the Machine | British Breakthrough Act | Nominated | ||
| Lungs | MasterCard British Album | Won | ||
| Meteor Ireland Music Awards | Lungs | Best International Album | Nominated | |
| Florence and the Machine | Best International Band | Won | ||
| Florence and the Machine | Best International Live Performance | Nominated | ||
| Elle Style Awards | Florence and the Machine | Musician of the Year | Won | |
| Shockwaves NME Awards | Florence and the Machine | Best Solo Artist | Nominated | |
| "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" | Best Track | Nominated | ||
| "You've Got The Love" | Best Dancefloor Filler | Nominated | ||
| Florence Welch | Best Dressed | Nominated |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Florence and the Machine | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England, UK |
| Genres | Alternative rock, art rock, indie pop, baroque pop, soul, neofolk |
| Years active | 2007 – present |
| Labels | Island |
| Associated acts | Lightspeed Champion, Noah and the Whale, Ashok |
| Website | florenceandthemachine.net/ |
| Members | |
| Florence Welch Robert Ackroyd Christopher Lloyd Hayden Isabella Summers Tom Monger | |
| Former members | |
| Devonte Hynes | |
Florence and the Machine (also written as Florence + the Machine), is the recording name of Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide backing music for her voice. Musically Florence and the Machine's sound is generally referred to as soul-inspired indie rock. Florence and the Machine's music has received praise across the music media, especially from the BBC. This is because the BBC played a large part in Florence and the Machine's rise to prominence by promoting her as part of BBC Introducing.[1] This led to the band playing at a number of music festivals in 2008, including Glastonbury as well as Reading and Leeds and T in the Park. The band's debut album, Lungs was released on 6 July 2009. It held the number 2 position for its first five weeks in the charts, behind Michael Jackson.[2] The album has now been in the top 40 UK charts for 22 consecutive weeks.
Contents |
Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28 August 1986 in London) is the daughter of Evelyn and Nick Welch. Evelyn Welch is a Professor of Renaissance Studies and Academic Dean for Arts at Queen Mary, University of London[3] and author and formerly a Studio 54 regular. Nick Welch works in advertising. Welch says she is prone to "falling into severe holes” that leave her crying on the floor. Welch has been diagnosed with dyslexia and dysmetria.[4] Welch would like to have a career similar to PJ Harvey and Björk who are "constantly creating new exciting stuff".[5] When she was 13, Welch found comfort in the music of Hole, Nirvana, Green Day, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, The Velvet Underground and Celine Dion.[4] As a teenager she was the frontwoman for Toxic Cockroaches and Ashok. Feeling she was in "the wrong band" she got out of a contract with Ashok by resigning.[4]
Welch said that "The name Florence and the Machine 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 is a Machine", before realizing that name was so long it'd drive me mad".[6] In 2006 Welch's performances in small London venues as "Florence Robot is a Machine" began to attract notice.[4]
The Machine is Florence's backing band. This is currently made up of Robert Ackroyd (guitar), Christopher Lloyd Hayden (drums), Isabella Summers ('Isabella Machine') (keyboards) and Tom Monger (harp).[7] Previously Devonte Hynes (Lightspeed Champion and Test Icicles) was also a member.
Florence and the Machine are managed by Mairead Nash. Nash is one half of the DJ outfit Queens of Noize.
Florence and the Machine were part of the 2009 Shockwaves NME Awards tour. Welch said that she planned a "pretty theatrical" performance.
The group played at the Concerts for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity event at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2009.[8]. Florence and The Machine also supported Blur for their 26 June comeback performance at the MEN Arena in Manchester,[9] and supported Duran Duran in July 2009.[6]
The group performed at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Electric Picnic in County Laois, Ireland and the T in the Park festival.[10][11] On October 27 the group played its first official New York City show[12] and appeared on the television programmes Late Night With David Letterman[13] and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[14]
Welch has said that she would like to tour the United States. However, she is fearful of becoming homesick due to the length of time it would take to tour the country.[15]
On New Year's Eve 2009, the group appeared on the pre-recorded New Year's Eve celebration show Hootenanny. On the show, they performed "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" and "Dog Days Are Over". Welch then performed a cover of "My Baby Just Cares for Me" with Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.
Florence and the Machine have gained a large amount of support from NME magazine who included them in their annual NME Awards Tour for 2009. They supported White Lies, Friendly Fires and Glasvegas on the tour. The Times described her as "the most peculiar and most highly acclaimed female singer of the moment" and "the latest in a line of great English pop eccentrics".[4] Allmusic described Lungs as "one of the most musically mature and emotionally mesmerizing albums of 2009".[16]Spin Magazine gave Lungs four out of five possible stars and wrote, "You’ve gotta hand it to the girl: She always makes you feel something" [17]. The magazine named the album as the 8th best of 2009.[18]
Welch appeared on the front cover of The Guide subsection to The Guardian. She also collected the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards in February 2009. Florence and the Machine came third in the BBC's Sound of 2009.[19]
In 2009 she covered Beyoncé's song "Halo" on the BBC1 Live Lounge; host Jo Whiley stated that it was one of the best covers they have ever had in the Live Lounge. The BBC also used "You Got The Love" as the backing music to its Jenson Button Formula One 2009 season review video montage and it was used in the final episode of Gavin and Stacey.
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Florence and the Machine | The Brits Critics' Choice section | Won |
| Florence and the Machine | BBC Sound of 2009 | Nominated
3rd Place | |
| Lungs | Mercury Prize | Nominated | |
| Florence and the Machine | Studio8's Female Voice of July 2009 | Won | |
| "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" | Studio8 Song of July 2009 | Won | |
| Florence and the Machine | MTV EMA's Best UK and Ireland New Act | Nominated | |
| Florence and the Machine | Q Awards Best Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | |
| "Drumming Song" | Q Awards Best Video Trophy | Nominated | |
| Lungs | Q Awards Best Album Award | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Florence and the Machine | UK Festival Awards 2009 Best Breakthrough Act | Won |
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRL | NZ | AUS | US | BEL | NOR | NTD | |||
| 2009 | Lungs
| 2 | 2 | 36 | 16 | 179 | 14 | 36 | 37 | |
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRL | |||
| 2008 | "Kiss with a Fist" | 51 | — | Lungs |
| "Dog Days Are Over" | 89 | — | ||
| 2009 | "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" | 12 | 42 | |
| "Drumming Song" | 54 | — | ||
| "You've Got the Love" | 16 | 30 | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. | ||||
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | IRL | |||
| 2009 | "Cosmic Love"[22] | — | 3 | Lungs |
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Kiss with a Fist" | Price James[24] |
| "Dog Days Are Over" | Tom Beard | |
| 2009 | "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" | Tom & Tabitha[25] |
| "Drumming Song" | Dawn Shadforth[26] | |
| "You've Got the Love" | Tom & Tabitha |
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   | myspace - MySpace.com - Florence and The Machine - 105 - Male - UK - myspace.com/florenceandthemachinemusic |
| | NME Artists page - Florence And The Machine - news, pictures, reviews, biography, videos, best songs, discography, books, DVDs, concerts, gossip, pictures and tour dates |
| | Blur sign-up Klaxons and Florence and The Machine for Manchester NME 3 April, 2009 - Blur sign-up Klaxons and Florence And The Machine for Manchester | News | NME.COM |
| | Neil Young and Blur confirmed for Glastonbury NME 9 March, 2009 - Neil Young and Blur confirmed for Glastonbury - Glastonbury Festival News - Festivals Guide 2009 - NME.COM - News, Reviews, Line-Ups, Photos, Videos, Information and More |
| | BBC Introducing page - BBC - Music - Introducing - Artist - Florence And The Machine |
| | BBC Sound of 2009: Florence and the Machine BBC 7 January, 2009 - BBC NEWS | Entertainment | BBC Sound of 2009: Florence and the Machine |
| | BBC Music profile - BBC - Music - Florence and The Machine |
| | Florence & The Machine win a Brit BBC 12 December, 2008 - BBC - Newsbeat - Music - Florence & The Machine win a Brit |
| | Total Request - Spring Music - Ladyhawke - The Virgins - The Pigeon Detectives - Lily Allen - Florence and the Machine: Industry Insider: teenvogue.com |
| | florenceandthemachine.net/ - Florence And The Machine | Official Website | News | Gigs | Music | Blogs - Homepage |
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