Concert Review-Florence and the Machine

On the hottest day of the year so far, a fiery haired goddess swept into the Paradise Rock Club in Boston and put on such a big show, the club could barely contain it.  I’m speaking of the British band Florence and the Machine, and with all due respect to the musicians, this concert was all about lead singer “Flo” as she likes to be called.  She is quite an odd little character.  With shocking red hair and creamy white skin, she looks like a porcelain doll.  Before she went on, the stagehands scattered flowers all over the stage and the instruments, furthering the sweet image surrounding the girl.  When Florence Welch stepped foot on stage, the audience went absolutely insane, knowing full well what it was in store for.  It was like people were bracing themselves, and rightfully so; as soon as she opened her mouth, Florence blew the roof off the club.  Her voice is so powerful and absolutely gorgeous in complete opposition to her looks; you expect sweet, she gives you brash and boisterous.

            Starting with the vocal roller-coaster ride “Howl” was a bold move, as it literally runs through every note that Florence can possibly hit.  I almost wondered how she could top it, but as she powered through her album, she proved that she was a truly diverse and engaging artist.  This was the only the second concert that I’ve been to where I really felt like it was a true “rock experience”, the first being fellow—yet quite different—British songbird Little Boots.  Perhaps they do a better job of teaching manners on the other side of the pond, because Florence made each and every audience member feel special and unique.  She bounced around the stage with the energy and vivacity of a hyperactive child, but knew how to restrain herself too.  Whenever she would howl, the audience screamed, feeding her immense voice.  Whereas in other shows that I’ve seen at the Paradise, the artists’ hits were greeted with the biggest applause, each and every one of Florence’s songs—even the one off of the “special deluxe box set.  I swear I’m not trying to sell you shit!”—were heralded with wild applause.  Big winners were “You’ve Got the Love” which the entire audience sang along to, “Kiss With a Fist”, and “I’m Not Calling You a Liar.”  Vocally, the woman is unparalleled in the music industry.  Nobody can hit notes and hold them as amazingly as she can, and still continue to sing right after wailing like that!  Thin-voiced pop stars like Rihanna and Miley Cyrus cant even hold a candle to this remarkably talented songstress.

            Florence showed off her charm and quirk in between her songs.  She really couldn’t thank us enough, and whenever she did, she seemed so genuinely gracious.  She came close to tears when the encore ended as she said “Really though, Boston, you’ve opened your hearts to me and I hope that it seemed I did the same to you.  You’re all so truly lovely!”  I, for one, can’t wait to have her back.

Here's a medium quality video of Florence + The Machine doing "Howl":