FLORENCE & THE MACHINE: Live at The Bowery Ballroom

I really loved Florence’s acoustic performance at the FADER fort on Saturday (post coming soon!) but Tuesday night at the Bowery Ballroom with the full band FLORENCE & THE MACHINE took it to another level. She entered the stage in a long Grecian dress, not looking much like a rock star and started a slow acoustic version of Lungs, which was gorgeous but left me waiting for the inevitable crescendo! I knew she was gonna step it up a notch, and she certainly did bursting into a high energy version of the song.

Not only is Florence one of the most amazing live singers but she has real stage presence and her performance is electrifying. She performed with such passion and intensity that I felt like she was up there bearing her tortured soul. She flailed around the stage shaking her hair amid flashing strobe lights that created an intense atmosphere. I particularly enjoyed her drum beating, there’s nothing quite like the juxtaposition of a guy playing a harp in the corner and a chick wildly beating a drum center stage.

I think that one of the most interesting things about Florence, is that she is a rock singer who also happens to have an amazing voice, and is just as comfortable with an acoustic ballad as she is thrashing around the stage and belting out her songs with fervor. - Camille