Reviewed on Friday November 13 (photo by Ashley Mar)
“Oh my love, don’t forsake me,” she sang, “Take what the water gave me…”As opening salvos go, it would be hard to find a more fitting number. The day had seen wild winds and lashings of hail, the rain a caul across the city. Thousands of us had gathered in the downpour awaiting a performer whose voice and stagecraft are the stuff of arresting legend – those unearthly, soaring notes, those tribal pirouettes – and while I was excited to finally be seeing Florence + The Machine live after years of fandom and missed live opportunities, I was also warned her gigs can be hit-and-miss.
Prior to Flo and co., we were treated to the habitually entertaining Jack Ladder and The Dreamlanders. Grandiose while avoiding ostentation, Ladder is a tremendous wordsmith and his band can conjure disparate landscapes with ease; one moment you are haggard and heartbroken, the next, raw and raging. Yet after seeing them deliver an outstanding set at September’s Small World Festival, I was engaged but somehow underwhelmed by their support slot. As another punter noted, “If they were any more relaxed they’d be asleep.”
When Florence emerged the rain had eased to a petulant drizzle, and the crowd lost its mind. ‘What The Water Gave Me’ segued into ‘Ship To Wreck’, and my God, any concern that Florence might not be in top form was instantly quashed. Her energy is remarkable, and her voice one of those rare feats future generations will longingly admire. ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ saw her enter the crowd (the first time) and sing her way to the upmost forecourt steps, where she was raised on a fan’s shoulders to close the song as the audience radiated out like acolytes with searching, outstretched hands.
The band itself was in fine form, with the evocative presence of harp and horn section – the horns really do turn a song like ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ into something epic. Conversely, when songs were stripped back to their core, such as the acoustic ‘Cosmic Love’, the experience was no less commanding, and it’s a rare audience that has the respect to exercise silence when a performer attempts such an intimate gesture in so open a venue.
‘Shake It Out’ and crowd favourite ‘Dog Days Are Over’ led to encore ‘Mother’ and ‘Drumming Song’, wrapping a comprehensive set that cemented Florence Welch as one of the most fascinating, enthralling performers we have.
