Live Review: Florence & The Machine - AO Arena, Manchester 03/02/2023
Florence and the Machine at Manchester’s biggest venue, on a Friday night, and in the words of Florence Welch herself ‘it’s Friday night and it's kicking in’. There was no way this night would be anything short of astounding.
After a couple months of the Brit award winners postponing their tour, due to Florence’s foot injury, their Dance Fever tour was back in Manchester, greeted by thousands of flower-crowned fans and beer-fuelled couples, the packed-out arena was rumbling and ready.
Before a very simple entrance upon the stage, the curtains, white light, and chandeliers allowed Florence Welch in a stunning ghostly white gown, to keep in line with the many heavenly references throughout the night.
Heaven Is Here, King, and the better known, Ship to Wreck, the perfect trifecta to start the gig with, as Welch ethereally moved around the stage, which continued throughout the 2-hour set, all the while maintaining pitch-perfect, beautiful vocals.
Before the infamous Dog Days Are Over kicked off, the seating section of the audience still seemed a little quiet, nevertheless as the first chords struck from the 2011 chart-topping sensation, every audience member took to their feet to dance with those around them.
Despite the venue’s capacity being 21,000, the show, from beginning to end, felt very intimate, specifically during Dream Girl Evil, when Welch serenaded a doppelganger fan and had the whole audience in awe of what was occurring in front of them.
Continuously making references to anything heaven-like, ghosts and the underworld, the mood felt very mysterious. If you have been in attendance at one of the bands' gigs before, you could probably compare the perfected performance to something from a drama film, it is all very cult-like, especially with the violinist helping soundtrack this feeling. When engaging about the overall feeling of the night and post-pandemic concert anxiety, Welch says “give into it, do everything I say, and you’ll be fine”.
At this point, it is time for the encore, after a short, but needed break after all the running around the standing section, Florence and the wonderfully low-key band come back with the lights up.
Florence reminisced on playing at the Deaf Institute in 2006 and it being a ‘huge deal’ for herself and the band, she even stated how they ended up back in student halls, it felt like a full-circle moment. Emotions were high as she marvelled at how she is beginning to love performing some of her older songs that used to hurt too much. Before the hard-hitting Never Let Me Go starts, we can see how much this song means to so many people in the room. There are many crying, embracing in hugs, and people on shoulders all in a choir for the repeated lyrics at the end of the song.
Transitioning from a heart-wrenching ballad to the more uplifting Shake It Out, one last dance was on the cards, with Welch leading the way, throwing herself around the stage, vigorously yet so beautiful to watch.
Ending on a calmer note, Raise It Up (Rabbit Heart), ends the night, everywhere you look people are smiling, and what a way to have the audience leave a concert, especially after such a long-awaited time.
After being in attendance, it is clear to see that traditions do in fact stick at a Florence and the Machine exhibition, no phones allowed when Florence says so, an overwhelming feeling of spirituality, masses of dancing, and a ridiculous amount of female power.
Whether or not you are the biggest fan of Florence and the Machine, this show, like every other performance the band put on, is definitely one to remember, moreover one everyone should experience in their lifetime.
Words by Lucy Holden
Photo Credit: Lillie Eiger
