Concert Review

Artist: Florence + The Machine with Holy Hail

Venue: Kool Haus

Where: Toronto, Canada

Date: Saturday, April 10, 2010

Reviewed by: Amanda Bertucci (Toronto)

On Saturday night, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Florence + The Machine’s live show. As a musician, Florence Welch has already achieved mass success in the UK, with her debut album Lungs topping the British charts. On this side of the pond, however, her following is smaller. Lungs hasn’t dominated the Canadian or American charts, but that fact did not stop the Toronto crowd from enjoying every minute of Florence’s fantastic set.

Saturday’s sold out show, originally set to be held at the Phoenix, was moved to a larger venue, Kool Haus, due to high demand. Fans packed the club, and waited with anticipation for Florence to hit the stage. Openers Holy Hail didn’t quite manage to hold the audience’s full attention, but still seemed to be thrilled to be touring with Florence.

The excitement in the crowd was palpable as we waited for Florence to take the stage, and when she did, the crowd erupted in cheers. Dressed all in black and wearing her signature hot pants, Florence definitely had stage presence. Backed by a quartet consisting of a harpist, drummer, guitarist and keyboardist, the sound was full-bodied and extremely clear. The instruments all worked together very well, and the ‘Machine’s’ lack of a bassist didn’t matter in the least. The set list was comprised almost entirely of songs from Lungs, except for the track ‘Hardest of Hearts’, which Florence informed the audience was on the deluxe edition of her CD.

It seemed to take Florence a couple of songs to warm up to the audience, but once she got comfortable, there was no stopping her. She had seemingly an infinite amount of energy, jumping and skipping across the stage and becoming more enthusiastic with every song. Crowd favourites included: ‘Between Two Lungs’, ‘Drumming Song’, and ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up).’ Though these songs seemed to garner the most clapping and singing, the entire set list had the audience enraptured. Both she and the audience fed off each other’s energy, and Florence seemed genuinely touched to be received so warmly, thanking the audience repeatedly for their support. She told the audience that it was their positive reaction which made her somewhat sad songs so joyful to play, and thanked the Toronto crowd for pulling her and her band out of what she called a “mid-tour slump.” And just to make sure the audience knew that she was being genuine, she asserted that she had never said that at a show before.

The audience-performer relationship at this concert was truly memorable. Florence had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. When she asked them to jump, or sing along, they responded with fervor and conviction. During 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)', Florence encouraged the audience to join her by singing “Raise It Up” on her cue, and each time she prompted the audience, they exploded into a heartfelt sing-along. She drew massive cheers from the audience after sustaining a single note for at least 30 seconds during the song 'I’m Not Calling You a Liar'. This was just one instance out of many where Florence proved that she has the talent to match the acclaim she receives.

After watching Florence on stage, it’s hard to believe that her album hasn’t even been out for a year yet. She is captivating to watch, her songs are powerful and emotional, and she’s got an almost ethereal voice. She is a charismatic performer and the music industry is sure to see and hear much more from her in the years to come. Toronto anxiously awaits her return.

Set List:

Howl

Kiss With a Fist

Hurricane Drunk

My Boy Builds Coffins

Between Two Lungs

Hardest of Hearts

Drumming Song

Cosmic Love

Blinding

I’m Not Calling You a Liar

Dog Days Are Over

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You’ve Got the Love

Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

Written by :

Amanda_Bee

 

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