Fresh off a Mercury nomination for their acclaimed sixth album Everybody Scream, return with ‘’, which captures the tour of the same name. It is perhaps a shame the album wasn’t closer to Halloween, coming almost a full year after the studio release. The 22-track set captures the euphoria and chaos of these particular shows and is in stark contrast with their last live offering, ‘Symphony of Lungs’.
The opener, the title track, immediately reaffirms that this is a show to remember, with Florence Welch on top form. This immediately segues into another recent fan favourite, ‘Witch Dance’, before a highly energetic rendition of ‘Shake It Out’ and ‘Seven Devils’, another ‘Ceremonials’ track and one that is more thematically aligned with the more recent material; it’s a beautiful rendition, built around the piano and Welch’s vocals.
In amongst classic material, there is room for deep cuts.’Which Witch’ from the deluxe version of ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’ gets an outing, not feeling out of place alongside more recognisable tracks. This leads into a gorgeous, epic version of ‘Cosmic Love’ and the ever jubilant ‘Spectrum’. Several tracks are stretched out to become even more epic, ‘Dog Days Are Over’, becoming a 7-minute juggernaut. This leads into a frenetic, freewheeling version of ‘Free’, a standout from 2022’s ‘Dance Fever’, that is just as triumphant live.
This release celebrates Florence + The Machine’s whole catalogue, placing iconic tracks alongside a plethora of songs that don’t necessarily get an outing. It’s a real testament to the strength of all of their albums to date and particularly ‘Everybody Scream’. Close to two decades after their debut release, Florence + The Machine show no signs of slowing down and remain a must see live act, with this release solidifying that fact. For those unable to make the tour itself, this live record goes some way to capturing the majestic feel of the stage craft and the carefully curated setlist. Even those more familiar with just the hits will find plenty to unpack and it may well encourage many to rush out and grab tickets for future shows.
8/10