Florence and the Machine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Florence and the Machine
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Florence and the Machine 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 started in London in 2007. The main singer is Florence Welch. The band also includes keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden, and harpist Tom Monger. Other musicians often join them too.
Their music is very popular and has a dramatic, unique sound. Florence Welch is known for her powerful singing. 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 in 2009. It quickly became very popular in the UK, reaching number one. It was one of the best-selling albums of 2009 and 2010. Their second album, Ceremonials (2011), also hit number one in the UK. Their third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015), was their first to reach number one in the US. It was a top album in many countries. In 2015, Florence Welch was the first British female artist to headline the famous Glastonbury Festival.
Florence and the Machine's music mixes different styles like rock and soul. Lungs won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2010. The band has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. They have also performed at big events like the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.
Contents
The Story of Florence and the Machine
How the Band Started (2007–2008)
The band's name comes from a joke between Florence Welch and her friend Isabella "Machine" Summers. Florence said the name "Florence and the Machine" was a private joke that got out of hand. She used to make music with Isabella, who they called Isabella Machine. Florence called herself Florence Robot. When she needed a band name for her first show, she thought of "Florence Robot Is A Machine," but it was too long! So, she shortened it to Florence and the Machine.
Besides Isabella Summers (keyboards), the band members include Robert Ackroyd (guitar), Chris Hayden (drums), Mark Saunders (bass), and Tom Monger (harp). Florence has said her band understands her creative process very well.
In 2007, Florence recorded with a band called Ashok. They released an album that included an early version of her song "Kiss with a Fist".
First Album Success: Lungs (2008–2010)
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 number one in the UK and number two in Ireland. In the US, it reached number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart.
"Kiss with a Fist" was the first song released from the album in 2008. This song was used in movies like Wild Child and Jennifer's Body. It also appeared in TV shows like 90210.
The next song, "Dog Days Are Over", was recorded without instruments in a tiny studio. This song was featured in TV shows like Gossip Girl and Skins. It was also in the movie trailer for Eat Pray Love. Later, the TV show Glee covered the song.
Other popular songs from Lungs included "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", "Drumming Song", and a cover of "You've Got the Love". "Cosmic Love" was the last song released from the album. It was used in many TV shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries. The band even performed an acoustic version of "Cosmic Love" on Gossip Girl.
In 2010, Florence and the Machine recorded "Heavy in Your Arms" for the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse movie.
Second Album: Ceremonials (2011–2013)
The band started working on their second album, Ceremonials, in 2010. Florence wanted the new album to be a "darker, heavier" version of Lungs. Most of the songs were written between January and April 2011. They recorded parts of the album at the famous Abbey Road Studios.
In June 2011, they released a cover of "Not Fade Away" by Buddy Holly. They also performed a new song called "What the Water Gave Me". This song was released on iTunes with a video that got 1.5 million views in just two days! The song "Shake It Out" was released in September 2011.
Ceremonials came out in 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 his song "Sweet Nothing", which also reached number one in the UK.
In 2012, Florence Welch said she planned to take a break before working on the next album. In December 2012, Ceremonials was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2013, the band wrote "Over the Love" for the movie The Great Gatsby.
Third Album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2014–2016)
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In 2014, Florence Welch confirmed that a third album was being made. In February 2015, the band played all the new songs at a private show in London. These songs included "Ship to Wreck" and "What Kind of Man".
The band released a short music video for the album's title track, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. This video was also a teaser for the album. The main song, "What Kind of Man", was released with its own music video.
Other songs like "St. Jude" and "Ship to Wreck" also got music videos that continued the story from the previous videos. The album was released in May and June 2015. It became their third number one album in the UK and their first to reach number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.
In June 2015, Florence and the Machine were chosen to headline the Glastonbury Festival. They replaced the Foo Fighters after their singer was injured. The band's performance at Glastonbury was highly praised. Florence thanked the Foo Fighters and even covered their song "Times Like These". In December 2015, the album received five nominations for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2016, Florence and the Machine recorded a cover of "Stand by Me" for the video game Final Fantasy XV. They also wrote two new songs for the game. In April 2016, the band released The Odyssey, a short film that combined all the music videos from the How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful album. The band also contributed a song called "Wish That You Were Here" to the 2016 film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
Fourth Album: High as Hope (2017–2021)
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Florence Welch confirmed in 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 band's fourth album, High as Hope, was released in June 2018. Another song, "Patricia", came out in August 2018. In January 2019, Florence and the Machine released a new song called "Moderation".
In April 2019, the band had a song called "Jenny of Oldstones" featured in an episode of the TV show 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.
Fifth Album: Dance Fever (2022–Present)
In early 2022, Florence and the Machine announced they would be headlining several music festivals. Fans started receiving letters and seeing billboards hinting at new music. Florence Welch confirmed on Instagram that a new song, "King", would be released. It came out in February 2022 with a music video.
Soon after, the song "Heaven Is Here" was released. In March 2022, Florence announced their fifth album, Dance Fever. She called it "a fairytale in 14 songs." The third song, "My Love", was released, followed by "Free" in April. The album was released in May 2022 and reached number one in the UK.
In 2022, keyboardist Hazel Mills and drummer Loren Humphrey left the band, but Loren Humphrey rejoined later that year. Isabella Summers, a founding member, did not help write or produce Dance Fever.
Live Shows and Tours
Florence and the Machine started by playing small shows in London. In 2008, they supported the band MGMT on tour in Europe. The BBC helped them get noticed, which led to them playing at big music festivals like Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds.
They have supported the UK Teenage Cancer Trust charity, performing at a concert in London in 2009. They also supported Blur and Duran Duran. During summer 2009, they played at many major festivals across the UK and Ireland.
In July 2010, the band played at Australia's Splendour in the Grass festival. So many people wanted to see them that the area had to be temporarily closed for safety! In October 2009, the band's equipment was damaged in a fire during their European tour. Florence said she could hear the harp strings "ping in the fire" and wanted to use that sound in a song.
Florence and the Machine played their first official New York City show in October 2009. They also performed on TV shows like Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
After Lungs became a huge success, the band announced "The Cosmic Love Tour" in May 2010. They played at many festivals, including Latitude 2010, which was their first time headlining a festival. At Glastonbury Festival 2010, they performed a new song and a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain". Their performance drew one of the largest crowds ever for that stage.
In 2011, Florence and the Machine opened for the band U2 on their North American tour.
Performances Around the World
Florence Welch has said she was very nervous before performing at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. After their performance of "Dog Days Are Over", their album Lungs and the song itself became even more popular online. They also performed "Dog Days Are Over" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Saturday Night Live.
In 2011, Florence Welch and other female singers performed a tribute to Aretha Franklin at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. Florence also sang at the 83rd Academy Awards. The band toured worldwide for two years to promote Ceremonials. In 2016, Florence and guitarist Rob Ackroyd gave a private performance for a fan in Austin, Texas. In September 2019, the band finished their High as Hope tour at the Acropolis in Greece.
Music Style
Florence Welch's singing style has been compared to other famous female singers like Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux, and Björk. Florence has said that Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane is one of her heroes.
The band's music is often described as "dark, strong, and romantic." It mixes "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 to be part of a time when many female performers are successful, following in the footsteps of her idols like Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks.
The band's musical style is called indie rock, indie pop, baroque pop, chamber pop, art rock, art pop, neo soul, and folk.
Band Members
Current Members
- Florence Welch – lead vocals, percussion (2007–present)
- Isabella Summers – keyboards, backing vocals (2007–present)
- Robert Ackroyd – lead guitar, backing vocals, bass (2007–present)
- Tom Monger – harp, xylophone, percussion, backing vocals (2007–present)
- Cyrus Bayandor – bass (2018–present)
- Aku Orraca-Tetteh – percussion, backing vocals, keyboards (2018–present)
- Dionne Douglas – violin, backing vocals, guitar (2018–present)
- Loren Humphrey – drums (2018–2022, 2022–present)
Former Members
- Christopher Lloyd Hayden – drums, percussion, backing vocals, 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 Members
Albums (Discography)
- 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)
Awards and Nominations
Images for kids
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Florence and the Machine performing during the Dance Fever Tour in Chicago
See also
In Spanish: Florence and the Machine para niños
