Florence & the Machine [Soul, Indie/Art rock] Bio,Pics&a

FLORENCE & THE MACHINE

Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie band, consisting of lead singer Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide backing music. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul. The band's music received praise across the music media, especially from the BBC, before they gained mainstream success.

Florence

Florence Welch lives in Camberwell, in South London. She grew up listening to her parents' record collection, which included bands such as The Velvet Underground, Love and The Smiths. At school, her teachers often had to reprimand her for singing in class - something she struggled to stop doing.

Florence has stated in the past that her songs are "stories with consequences and weird morality issues."

The Band

The line-up of Florence's band changes regularly. In the past, it has included Devonte Hynes, better known as 'Dev', from Lightspeed Champion and formerly a member of the Test-Icicles.

The most recent line-up of the band includes Robert Ackroyd on guitar, Tom Monger on harp, Isabella Summers on keyboards and Christopher Lloyd Hayden on drums.

Starting Out

When Florence and The Machine started out, they were playing in London venues such as The Lock Tavern and for people such as Blue Flowers and Filthy Few. On some occasions, her band members would fail to turn up to the gigs, so she would do them acapella.

In June 2008, Florence and The Machine released 'Kiss With A Fist' on 7" vinyl and as a download. Their next release was in December 2008, when they released the single 'Dog Days Are Over'. The band's third single, 'You've Got The Love' was released in January 2009.