Florence & the Machine
SSE Hydro
Glasgow
Jonathan Geddes
Three stars
It might be a surprise, but there were actually some low-key moments in this set by Florence Welch and her 11-piece machine. An entrance where she walked along the front row of the crowd went almost unnoticed by those further back, and her stage set-up was also minimal, with little pyrotechnics or gimmicks beyond various lights and a moon backdrop.
Maybe that’s because Welch is the show herself. Her backing band were exactly that, figures often in shadow, while the singer hurled herself around. There were manic sprints from side to side, the odd song performed while perched over the front row and widescreen gesture after widescreen gesture. Perhaps it should have been expected given her festival headliner status, but Welch bossed the arena with ease.
Yet for all that was compelling and charismatic, there was a nagging vibe that some of these songs needed the adrenaline she provided with her movement. The template was solid throughout, of a pounding rhythmic backdrop that occasionally approximated a rave, while Welch hollered on top. When it worked, it struck a tone of genuine giddy abandon, from the rumbling build-up then euphoria of Rabbit Heart to a beefy, soulful Queen of Peace, the pick of her new tunes.
Yet if there was deserved jubilation in places, particularly on a raved-up double-whammy of Spectrum and Dog Days Are Over that saw Welch whip off her top and encourage the crowd to do the same, there was also tedium. Her You Got The Love cover was oddly mechanical live, and newbies Ship To Wreck and Mother prized bombastic efficiency over anything more rewarding. Welch carried the show like a star, but the music itself could have shone brighter.
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