Florence + The Machine at Rod Laver Arena
Photo Credit: Jonathan White
Returning to Melbourne once again, was English indie-poppers Florence + The Machine, who played at an absolutely packed-out Rod Laver Arena. Making our way to the venue, we knew by the hundreds of flowing outfits and flower crowns that we were headed in the right direction and that tonight’s audience would absolutely make the show. With vocalist Florence Welsh and her band in full swing, their performance was a celebration of life; with plenty of whimsy and theatrics thrown in for good measure.
Supporting Florence was Brooklyn native singer-songwriter King Princess, better known as Mikaela Straus, who brought her own brand of pop to the huge crowds that had already arrived at the arena. Playing to easily one of the biggest crowds we’ve seen arrive for support, King Princess tore up the stage with band in tow; bringing high-octane energy to her music. Singles Little Bother and Cursed from her most recent album Hold On Baby opened her set, and set the mood for the next 45 minutes to come. With her effortless cool, Straus reminded us that it’d been four years since being in Australia, before hyping everyone up for her queer anthem Pussy is God, which went absolutely off. Giving us some juxtaposition with a ‘sad lesbian song’, Change the Locks and new single The Bend were up next, and provided a mellow moment in the set, while hits Talia and 1950 signalled that our time with King Princess was coming to an end. Asking us to rock out for her last song, Let it Die ended her performance on a massive high, and has us anticipating the next time we’ll see King Princess back in our country.
Before long, it was time for Florence + The Machine to take to the stage. With a backdrop of candelabras and melted wax, Welch waltzes onstage to the opening clapping track of Heaven Is Here. Pounding her fist in the air, she is a flurry of dark lace, red hair, and an outburst of energy. It’s easily one of the most commanding openers to a show, and has the audience captivated from the get-go. The first track and single King from their latest album, Dance Fever, is up next, and has the audience swaying and singing along, which only gets crazier by the time Ship to Wreck rolls around.
With the audience well and truly warmed up by this point, Welch showed no signs of stopping as she ran across the stage in leaps and bounds to one of our favourite songs off the new album, Free. Showing off her impressive technical skills in the intro to newer track Daffodil, we’re later greeted by Welch and the band, who welcome any first-timers to a Florence show (and in some cases, 46th-timers). The audience are then told to put away their phones and be in the moment, as we’re told is tradition for the next song, Dog Days Are Over. Everyone is on their feet and dancing along at this point, going absolutely crazy for the band’s classic song. We’re given a breather during next song Girls Against God, before Welch steps down into the barricade to sing the opening verse of Dream Girl Evil to a fan while holding them. With a sea of devoted fans’ hands reaching out to her, Welch prances along the front of the stage to give everyone a chance with her for the heavy-hitting Big God, off her fourth album, High as Hope, which had some in tears along the front row.
The supercharged What Kind of Man saw a sea of fists raised in the air along with the thumping drumbeats, while Florence dedicated newer track The Bomb to supporting artist King Princess, as her favourite song. The band’s cover of Candi Staton’s You Got the Love pulled everyone from their seats, and up into a dance along, while Welch kept the audience on their toes for Choreomania; as she ran through the crowd, who all tried to catch a look at her. Singles Kiss With a Fist and Cosmic Love from the band’s debut album Lungs were set highlights – reminding us all of where they started, and how far they’d come over the years. The band truly shone during Cosmic Love, with the beating drums offset by delicate harp notes and backing vocals. Switching up the pace, we’re told to prepare for a resurrection of dance (especially after the last couple of years we’ve all had), as My Love goes off without a hitch. The spoken word Restraint draws the set to a close (for now), and brings the Dance Fever part of the set full circle.
Returning to the stage for their encore, Welch thanks everyone for being the most incredible crowd, before she introduces the next song, Never Let Me Go, which she claims hasn’t been played on tour for 10 years. Believing now is the best time to revive it, the audience shows their appreciation as they all sing along, and gently sway throughout the performance. Classic Florence + The Machine single Shake It Out only drives us all wilder, and keen to keep the good vibes going. Calling for human sacrifices for the closing song, Welch draws from earlier comments about their dedicated fans, and the fact that the band may just be a front for a cult. Once there are plenty of people up on shoulders, there are smiles all round as Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) is played. The audience is truly mesmerised and in a state of euphoria – a feeling that doesn’t leave us for the rest of the night. Florence + The Machine have never been short of doting fans, and based on their performance that night, it was clear that their almost 15-year career can only go up from here.