Florence + The Machine review: London indie band are back and better than ever as tour opens in Cardiff

Florence + The Machine are back with their first live tour in three years. The band, formed in London back in 2007, have made themselves a staple of the UK Indie Rock scene. With an album written over the lockdown now a firm favourite with no doubt many fans, Florence opened up their UK tour in Cardiff. I was in the crowd to watch them make their return to the UK arena circuit.

It was a wet night in the Welsh capital, I’d barely dried out by the time the lights were lowered and the vast collection of candles and chandeliers which made up a busy looking stage were illuminated. ‘Heaven is Here’ and ‘King’ got things underway on what would be an epic 23 song set of tracks spanning throughout the band’s years of work right up to ‘Dance Fever’ which was released earlier this year.

‘Free’ and ‘Dog Days are Over’ kept the momentum of a lively start to the show going. These songs sandwiched ‘Daffodil’ which was a nice inclusion considering the location of the night’s show. The iconic sound of Florence Welch is often one of the most recognisable in music, and for a first time hearing it live it became easy to see why. Her passionate and powerful performance was a chance for her to put the 15 years of experience back into a UK live show for the first time in far too long.

A theme running through the night was Florence giving her appreciation to everyone in the crowd for coming along. She talked of the worry she had during the pandemic about potentially not being able to get the chance to play a big show again, and the relief of being able to perform the brand new songs out on the road.

Each and every song was met with a wave of joyous and emotional screams from fans who would probably have agreed had needed to wait far too long to hear again. The elegant and at times raw performance from Florence saw her dip into the crowd on multiple occasions, she brought back a bunch of flowers one fan had brought along to give her.

Florence + The Machine’s sound is aided by the instrumental influence of the piano and harp, both of which took centre stage in Cardiff. The soulful sounds of a band that has long been one of the most refreshing to listen to was the ideal tonic as we danced and swayed in the dry of the Cardiff International Arena.

‘Kiss with a Fist’ a track from the band’s 2009 debut album ‘Lungs’ injected some more energy into proceedings. This was one of several of the more lively tracks which, following the chance to have a dance, moved my closer to the stage by a good few feet.

The night sauntered towards a loving conclusion and when Florence ran back on stage, she led the band in sparkling renditions of ‘Never Let Me Go’ and ‘Shake it Out’. the final dance belonged to another track from that first taste of Florence. ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)’ was full of energy and life. The typically faultless performance was brought to a close and the thousands in the CIA filtered back out onto the still rainy streets of Cardiff.

Florence + The Machine were on Wednesday night the latest act to bring their live shows back to UK arenas following a two year hiatus as a result of the pandemic. This felt like a case of Florence making up for lost time- and they did exactly that.

Next up on the tour are two home town shows right here in London at the O2. if you’re going- you will have an absolutely amazing time. Enjoy! And begin counting down until the next time you can see the spectacle that is Florence + The Machine live again.