Florence and the Machine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Florence and the Machine
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Performing live at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas in Inglewood, California, 2018
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
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Florence and the Machine (also known as Florence + the Machine) is an English indie rock band. They formed in London in 2007. The main members are singer Florence Welch, keyboard player Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, and harpist Tom Monger. The BBC helped them become famous by featuring them on BBC Music Introducing. In 2009, they won the "Critics' Choice" award at the Brit Awards.
Their first album, Lungs, came out on 3 July 2009. It stayed at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks. On 17 January 2010, it reached number one. This album was one of the best-selling albums of 2009 and 2010. Their second album, Ceremonials, was released in October 2011. It went to number one in the UK and number six in the US. The band's third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, came out on 2 June 2015. It topped the charts in the UK and was their first album to reach number one on the US Billboard 200. In 2015, Florence Welch was the first British female singer to headline the Glastonbury Festival in the 21st century.
The band's music is known for its dramatic style and Florence Welch's strong singing. Their sound mixes different types of music, like rock and soul. Lungs won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2010. Florence and the Machine have been nominated for six Grammy Awards. They have also performed at big events like the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.
Contents
The Band's Journey
How the Band Started
The name Florence and the Machine came from a joke between Florence Welch and Isabella "Machine" Summers. Florence said, "The name started as a private joke that got out of hand." She used to call herself Florence Robot and Isabella was Isa Machine. When she needed a band name for her first show, she thought of "Florence Robot Is A Machine," but decided it was too long.
Besides Isabella Summers on keyboards, the band includes Robert Ackroyd on guitar, Tom Monger on harp, Cyrus Bayandor on bass, Aku Orraca-Tetteh on percussion and backing vocals, and Dionne Douglas on violin. Florence has said her band members understand her creative process very well.
First Album: Lungs (2009)
Florence and the Machine released their first album, Lungs, in July 2009. It was produced by several people, including James Ford and Paul Epworth. The album quickly became popular, reaching number one in the UK and number two in Ireland. It sold over 100,000 copies in the UK within a month.
The first song released from the album was "Kiss with a Fist" in June 2008. This song was used in movies like Wild Child and Jennifer's Body. The next song, "Dog Days Are Over", came out in December 2008. It was recorded in a very small studio. This song was featured in TV shows like Gossip Girl and Skins. "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" was the third song from the album, released in June 2009.
Later, "Drumming Song" and a cover of "You've Got the Love" were released. "Cosmic Love" was the last song from Lungs, released in July 2010. It appeared in many TV shows, including Grey's Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries. In May 2010, the band also provided a song called "Heavy in Your Arms" for the movie The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
Second Album: Ceremonials (2011)
Work on the second album, Ceremonials, began in January 2010. Florence wanted the album to be a stronger version of Lungs, with bigger drum and bass sounds. Most of the songs were written between January and April 2011. Recording took place at Abbey Road Studios.
In August 2011, the song "What the Water Gave Me" was released. Its music video got 1.5 million views on YouTube in just two days. The song "Shake It Out" was released in September 2011. It became very popular in many countries.
Ceremonials was released on 28 October 2011. It reached number one in the UK and number six in the US. In 2012, Florence and the Machine were nominated for two Brit Awards. They also released "Breath of Life" as the theme song for the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. A remix of "Spectrum (Say My Name)" by Calvin Harris became the band's first UK number-one hit. Florence also worked with Calvin Harris again on the song "Sweet Nothing", which also reached number one in the UK.
In 2012, Florence Welch said she planned to take a year off before working on the next album. In December 2012, Ceremonials was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2013, the band wrote the song "Over the Love" for the movie The Great Gatsby.
Third Album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015)
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In June 2014, Florence Welch announced that the band was working on their third album. In February 2015, they played all the new songs at a private show in London. The title track, "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful", was released as a short music video. The first main song from the album, "What Kind of Man", was released on 12 February.
Other songs like "St. Jude" and "Ship to Wreck" also had music videos that continued a story. The album was released in May and June 2015. It became their third number one album in the UK and also topped the charts in the US. The album received five nominations at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
In June 2015, Florence and the Machine were chosen to headline the Glastonbury Festival. This happened because the original headliners, Foo Fighters, had to cancel. Florence thanked the Foo Fighters and even performed their song "Times Like These".
In 2016, the band recorded a classical cover of "Stand by Me" for the video game Final Fantasy XV. They also wrote two original songs for the game. In April 2016, they released The Odyssey, a short film that combined all the music videos from the How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful era. The band also contributed a song called "Wish That You Were Here" to the 2016 film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
Recent Albums: High as Hope (2018) and Dance Fever (2022)
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Florence Welch confirmed in May 2017 that a new album was being made. In February 2018, the band's drummer, Christopher Hayden, left the band. The first song from the new album, "Sky Full of Song", was released in April 2018, followed by "Hunger" in May. The fourth album, High as Hope, was released on 29 June 2018.
In April 2019, Florence and the Machine had a song called "Jenny of Oldstones" featured in an episode of Game of Thrones. In April 2020, they released "Light of Love" to help with the COVID-19 pandemic. All money from the song went to the Intensive Care Society.
In early 2022, the band was set to headline several music festivals. Fans started receiving letters with a print called "King - Chapter 1," which hinted at new music. Florence Welch confirmed this on her Instagram account. The song "King" was released digitally in February 2022, along with its music video. Soon after, "Heaven Is Here" was released in March.
On 9 March 2022, Florence announced Dance Fever, the band's fifth album. She called it "a fairytale in 14 songs." The third song, "My Love," was released on 10 March, and "Free" followed in April. The album was released on 13 May 2022. It debuted at number one in the UK and number two in Australia. Keyboardist Hazel Mills and drummer Loren Humphrey left the band in 2022, though Humphrey rejoined later that year. Isabella Summers, a founding member, did not work on Dance Fever or join the tour.
In 2025, Florence and the Machine worked with singer The Weeknd on a song called "Reflections Laughing" for his album Hurry Up Tomorrow.
Live Shows and Tours
Florence and the Machine started by playing small shows in London. In 2008, they supported MGMT on their European tour. The BBC helped them gain attention, leading to performances at major music festivals like Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds. They also joined the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour in 2009.
The band has supported the UK Teenage Cancer Trust, performing at a concert in London in March 2009. They also played at the Lovebox Festival and supported Duran Duran. In summer 2009, they performed at many big festivals across the UK and Ireland.
In July 2010, Florence and the Machine played at Australia's Splendour in the Grass festival. They attracted one of the largest crowds, with an estimated 28,000 people trying to see them. In October 2009, the band's equipment was damaged in a trailer fire during their European tour. Florence said she could hear the harp strings breaking in the fire, a sound she wanted to use in a song.
On 27 October 2009, Florence and the Machine played their first official New York City show. They performed "Kiss with a Fist" on the Late Show with David Letterman. After Lungs became number one in the UK in January 2010, the band announced a UK and Ireland tour called The Cosmic Love Tour. They also performed at festivals like Oxegen 2010 and Latitude 2010.
The Cosmic Love Tour started in Dublin in May 2010 and ended in London. At Glastonbury Festival 2010, they performed a new song and a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain". Their performance drew one of the biggest crowds in the history of the Other Stage. Florence and the Machine also opened for U2 on their North American tour in June and July 2011. On 11 September 2024, Florence and the Machine performed at the BBC Proms in London.
Big Performances Around the World
Florence Welch was very nervous before performing at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on 12 September. She even lost sleep and cried. After their performance of "Dog Days Are Over," Lungs rose to number two on the iTunes albums chart. Florence and the Machine became the top search on Google and received many tweets. They also performed "Dog Days Are Over" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Saturday Night Live.
On 13 February 2011, Florence Welch and other female singers opened the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards with a tribute to Aretha Franklin. On 27 February 2011, Florence sang at the 83rd Academy Awards. The band toured worldwide for two years to promote Ceremonials. Florence and guitarist Rob Ackroyd gave a private performance for a fan in Austin, Texas, in May 2016. On 29 September 2019, the band finished their High as Hope tour at the Acropolis.
Music Style and Inspirations
Florence Welch's singing style has been compared to artists like Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, and Björk. Florence has said that Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane is her hero and a big influence.
The band's music is often described as "dark, strong, and romantic." It combines "classic soul and English art rock." Florence has said her song lyrics are like the themes used by Renaissance artists, dealing with "love and death, time and pain, heaven and hell." She feels lucky that many female performers are popular now, and she is proud to follow in the footsteps of her idols like Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks.
The group's music style includes indie rock, indie pop, baroque pop, chamber pop, art rock, art pop, neo soul, and folk.
Awards and Recognition
Florence and the Machine won the Critic's Choice Award at the 2009 Brit Awards. They were also third in the BBC's Sound of 2009 poll. NME magazine also supported them, including them on their 2009 Shockwaves NME Awards Tour.
The Sunday Times called Florence Welch "the most peculiar and most highly acclaimed female singer of the moment." AllMusic said Lungs was "one of the most musically mature and emotionally mesmerising albums of 2009." Spin magazine gave Lungs a high rating and named it the eighth best album of 2009. In December 2010, Spin featured Florence and the Machine as Artist of the Year.
The band won the Mastercard British Album award for Lungs at the 2010 Brit Awards. They were also nominated for Best British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act. In February 2010, they won Best International Band at the 2010 Meteor Awards. They received four nominations for the 2010 MOJO Awards. They were also nominated for Best New Artist at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. In April 2011, Florence and the Machine were listed among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Singer Beyoncé has said that Florence and the Machine influenced her 2011 album 4.
Band Members
Current Members
- Florence Welch – lead singer, percussion, sometimes piano (2007–present)
- Isabella Summers – keyboards, backing vocals (2007–present)
- Robert Ackroyd – lead guitar, backing vocals, bass (2007–present)
- Tom Monger – harp, percussion, backing vocals (2007–present)
- Cyrus Bayandor – bass (2018–present)
- Aku Orraca-Tetteh – percussion, backing vocals, keyboards (2018–present)
- Dionne Douglas – violin, backing vocals, rhythm guitar (2018–present)
- Loren Humphrey – drums (2018–2022, 2022–present)
Former Members
- Christopher Lloyd Hayden – drums, percussion, backing vocals, rhythm guitar (2007–2018)
- Mark Saunders – bass, backing vocals (2009–2018)
- Rusty Bradshaw – keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2011–2018)
- Hazel Mills – keyboards, backing vocals (2018–2022)
- Sam Doyle – drums (2022)
Timeline of Band Members
Albums Released
- Lungs (2009)
- Ceremonials (2011)
- How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015)
- High as Hope (2018)
- Dance Fever (2022)
Concert Tours
- Lungs Tour (2008–2011)
- Ceremonials Tour (2011–2013)
- How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Tour (2015–2016)
- High as Hope Tour (2018–2019)
- Dance Fever Tour (2022–2023)
See also
In Spanish: Florence and the Machine para niños
