Band Spotlight: Florence and the Machine

Florence and the Machine is an English pop indie band consisting of lead singer Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists that provide backup music. According to Welch, "The name Florence and the Machines started off as a private joke that got out of hand. I made music with my friend, who we called Isabella Machine to which I was Florence Robot. When I was about an hour away from my first gig, I still didn't have a name, so I thought 'Okay, I'll be Florence Robot/Isa Machine', before realising that name was so long it'd drive me mad." So the name was shortened and Florence and the Machine was formed in 2007.

The current band members include musicians Robert Ackroyd (guitar and backing vocals), Chris Hayden (drums, percussion and backing vocals), Isabella Summers (keyboards and backing vocals), Mark Saunders (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Tom Monger (harp). They released their debut album Lungs in the United Kingdom in July of 2009. A month after the Album's release it had sold over 100,000 copies and shot up to #1 in the UK and #2 in Ireland. The single "Dogs Days are Over" gained instant recognition.

                                    

Welch said she wanted her next album to be a better version of Lungs with a "more dark, more heavy, bigger drum sounds, bigger bass, but with more of a whole sound." She succeeded with the album Ceremonials, which was released in October of 2011. It reached the number one position on the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release and number six on the US Billboard 200. 

Florence performed Sunday night at the Outdoor Theater stage at Coachella. She was definitely among my top five favorite performances of the weekend! Her voice is absolutely unreal, I got chills. The massive crowd sang along as Florence and the Machine performed all their most popular songs. Just two years prior I saw Florence perform during the day on the smallest Coachella stage, and seeing her transformation to the outdoor theater was amazing. Florence and the Machine has gained so much well-deserved popularity, and will forever remain one of my favorite bands.