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Florence + the Machine's ground-trembling triumph at Tempelhof Sounds Festival - the Fan Club account
The Florence + the Machine Fan Club were given access to report on Florence + the Machine’s tempestuous Tempelhof Sounds appearance, and we detail all from the fan club perspective.
When you think of a Florence + the Machine festival headline slot, what sort of atmosphere comes to mind? At Tempelhof Sounds Festival, take that image and amplify it by one hundred. Tempelhof marked the first major festival in Germany to open its gates, set on the runway of the eerie abandons of a former major airport serving Berlin. What better location than to watch the music soar through and above the crowd that had been longing for the return of live music for three years? It was clear that Tempelhof stood for the music, putting this front and centre from the moment the first act stepped onto the stage, and the audience it attracted reflected that priority in its energy.
Fans gather early in the morning, adorned in glitter and flower crowns, to secure the prime barrier position. Photo: Yvonne Lehnert
‘Barrier Ghosts’ waiting patiently for the show to begin. Photo: Tessa Camilla (@tessacamilla)
Take, for example, the moment that the audience, waiting with bated breath, caught the first glimpse of Rob Ackroyd, Tom Monger, Dionne Douglas, Sam Doyle, Cyrus Bayandor and Aku Orraca-Tetteh ascending to the stage. Palpable electricity flowed through the sea of "barrier ghosts" - their faces glittering and ornament flower crowns worn in nervous anticipation of Florence Welch to float behind her band onto the stage. The wait for them had been for over 6 hours for most, enduring the intensity of the summer sun through the varied line-up of preceding acts including Two Door Cinema Club and the Libertines. A roar cut through the hot, still Berlin evening at the moment Florence tiptoed across the stage. Dressed in flowing lace, the pounding drums of 'Heaven Is Here' set the tone for the journey on which thousands were about to embark. The crowd chanted the spell-like 'Dance Fever' offering back to the band; the sermon in full swing. Hands flew into the air, pounding the sky to 'I AM KING' as Florence’s face illuminated at the realisation that ‘Dance Fever’ had already touched the souls of fans globally, singing the song word-for-word back to her. Florence + the Machine are indeed King, returning to perform at their best; each person understood how privileged they were to be experiencing this moment with their own eyes, ears and spirits, and they gave everything in return. Stomping, jumping, shouting through tiredness, tears and sweat, offering all their energy towards the stage.
Then came Dog Days to the satisfaction of the horizon-stretching crowd, with its classic ritual of its collective in-the-moment experience. Thousands roared as Florence asked who was experiencing what she termed the "cult" of Florence + the Machine for the first time. Thousands were inducted into the cult, jumping with abandon to the song's climax under the spell of Florence. The sheer power of the performance sent literal shockwaves through the tarmac, even causing a minor earthquake which shook surrounding apartments during the minute of feet thumping the floor in harmony.
Photo: Lea Herpich
The atmosphere remained charged, but with gentle love in the place of frantic euphoria as 'June''s "hold on to each other" tugged at the emotions of many who had struggled through the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans held hands, embracing and swaying as each reflected on the personal bonds that Florence + the Machine have created between people who would not have met without their music - Canadians, Russians, Germans, Britons, Irish, French and more, all swaying shoulder-to-shoulder. Then again, nothing creates bonds quite like the shared experience of Florence clambering onto the barrier to unleash sonic rage through 'Dream Girl Evil'. Where Florence has supported millions through her songs, fans become Florence's physical support for a moment and the symbiosis of artist and audience becomes ever more evident. This symbiosis, as Florence highlighted later in the set, is something she and her band had missed dearly over the last three years. It's that symbiosis that Florence had witnessed in its full glory most evidently here, tonight, in Berlin. "You have been the most incredible audience, thank you" Florence exclaimed, visibly overwhelmed by the uniquely vibrant reception that the band had received from the German crowd from the very first song.
The crowd raises phone torches to simulate stars during ‘Cosmic Love’. Photo: Antony Zacharias (@antonyzacsnaps)
The show continued under "the moon, still bright against the worrying sky"; Florence sang, stretching towards the luminous moon hung perfectly above the sea of her worshippers. The lights of phone torches completed the sky full of song during 'Cosmic Love' as the sky itself began to grow darker. As the show drew to a close, Florence beckoned all to leave all their energy on the tarmac. Her audience obeyed, dancing to exhaustion in the vein of the dancing plague which themes their latest album 'Dance Fever'. The final offerings were made during 'Rabbit Heart' which closed the set, with fans clambering onto shoulders chanting "RAISE IT UP" into the black abyss above their heads. The ground-shaking energy was felt from further afield, attracting an audience of congregating passers-by in Tempelhof Feld to the festival’s perimeter who listened to the crowd’s roaring and Florence’s soaring voice in awe.
And although the band left the stage, the strong connections, friendships and sheer energy that are the life forces of the Florence + the Machine fan base endure in ever-more beautiful ways. Reflectively, no-one moved for minutes after the band had left the stage, all spell-struck by the sermon in which they had just participated. As the charm’s hold lessened and the crowd dispersed in search of food to refuel after their musical voyage, the electricity was still visible on all faces that we passed. Fans gathered to share tales of the personal and collective moments from the show, exchanging photos, hugs and contacts. As we write this article, we realise that it is incredibly difficult to transfer the sheer vibrance that this performance offered into words, and are indebted to Tempelhof Sounds for providing such a special space for Florence + the Machine's literally ground-shaking magic to be shared. That evening will forever be written into history, on this site and beyond, as one of the most exhilarating shows by the band, but also the most beautiful display of human love that the band facilitates, that continues to pervade through the darkest of times.
Fans congregate after the performance, united by Florence + the Machine, having endured over 11 hours of waiting in the intense German sun. Photo: Agnes
The Big FATM Quiz 2020
Join us on Sunday 17th May 2020 for our first-ever Big FATM Quiz 2020! Click the link above for details.
After 12 years of iconic quotes, unforgettable memories, eccentric photo-shoots and a shed-load of hit songs, the time has finally come to show off your Florence + the Machine knowledge in true lock-down fashion.
Join us on 17th May 2020 (this coming Sunday) for The Big FATM Quiz 2020! The quiz will include 5 rounds, lasting around 1.5 to 2 hours in total, and will include multiple choice questions, “fill in the gaps”, true/false questions, and wouldn’t be complete without a picture and music round!
Where: Zoom (a popular, secure video calling app).
When: 17th May 2020 at 19:30pm BST (UK time).
How can I get involved: Simply register your interest before midnight (00:00 BST) on Saturday 16th May 2020 by filling in this form.
We will be running the quiz in groups of 4. Ideally, we’d love you all to make a group of 4 yourselves and choose an imaginative team-name. Otherwise, we’ll allocate you to teams on the night, or you can choose us to allocate you too. Note, we will also accept teams of less than 4 and you can ask to play by yourself.
Feel free to leave questions below, or find us on social media.
See you on Sunday for some Florence + the Machine-related quizzing fun!
WINNERS
Anne Hegerty's Angels + Squirrels Yeah!
Excellent Potatoes
Flownery
BEST NAME
Quisa Machine
For those that missed out on the quizzes, you can do them all here and see the answers!
https://bit.ly/fatmpics
https://bit.ly/fatmmusic
https://bit.ly/fatmquotes
https://bit.ly/fatmtf
https://bit.ly/fatmmcq
LOVE FOREVER - A gift to Florence + the Machine
We're organising something very special to give to Florence + the Machine to celebrate the nostalgia of the High As Hope Era, and you're invited to join!
***THIS PROJECT IS NOW CLOSED TO FURTHER ENTRIES***
PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT ANY FURTHER MESSAGES AS THEY WILL NOT BE INCLUDED
Photo: Vincent Haycock
To celebrate the end of the High As Hope era, we wanted to reconnect Florence + the Machine to their fans worldwide, whether they attended a live show or not. So, we’ve organised a little gift for the band, from you, the fans!
Inspired by the nostalgic ‘South London Forever’, our LOVE FOREVER project aims to celebrate the nostalgia of the High As Hope era and let Florence + the Machine know how they have changed you or your life.
To do this, we want you to submit ______ FOREVER, where the blank space is a word that encompasses what you hold closest to your heart with respect to Florence + the Machine / High As Hope. We also would love you to write a little note with it (no more than a few lines) about why you chose the word you did.
Some examples might be ‘HYDE PARK FOREVER’ to highlight your most recent experience of seeing them live. It could be ‘100 YEARS FOREVER’ to let them know your favourite tune. It could even be a name of someone you’ve met through the Florence + the Machine Fan Club that you wouldn’t have otherwise known without your shared love for the band.
The possibilities are endless. The deadline is the 1st August so get creative!
Send your entries to our email, hand them into our admin Charlotte Smith in person at Edinburgh Summer Sessions (first night), or by post (you’ll need to contact us to ask for the mailing address).
Florence + the Machine Stun at War Child 2016 [Review]
The fan club review on Florence + the Machine’s stunning charity performance at War Child, at Hackney’s St. John’s church.
Florence + the Machine and churches have become somewhat synonymous; religious symbols feature heavily throughout their music and videos alike. Thus, when I discovered I'd be attending the intimate gig for charity War Child, hosted by O2 at St John's at Hackney, the offer was impossible to turn down. Ever since discovering her music in 2008, I've longed to see her perform in a church, and I'm glad I picked this one.
We arrived shortly after 4:30pm, which was disappointing because we quickly learnt that Florence had actually emerged to meet fans ten minutes before our arrival. We told ourselves it was for the best because one of us probably would've fainted (...I'm still not sure I believe myself), but the fans that did meet her did so deservedly. Some had been camping outside since 12pm, and it was a bitterly cold day. The first things that struck me were actually the shortness of the queue, and the fluffy white duvets that the first few people in the queue were snuggling under - it did make me quite envious!
The sun began to dissolve (casual Queen of Peace reference), and the queue grew longer and longer. We mingled with other fans, who chatted excitedly about everything from the last time they saw Florence + the Machine, to shared admiration for each others Paisley waistcoats; yep, this was definitely a Florence gig...but Florence + the Machine fans are definitely the nicest people to queue with.
Then suddenly, our of nowhere, the "O2 Angels", in an act of divinity, descended upon the crowds with the holy elixir that is commonly known as water, and pizza. Yes, freshly made pizza! The crowds attacked it like something from the Walking Dead (more of this later), and it tasted exceptionally good. Then, the huge doors to the magnificent church flew open, and we were allowed to trickle through to the main hall.
The hall itself was beautiful; an impressive organ stood at the back (I won't lie, I almost expected Isabella Summers to float down and kick off the show blasting the organ to the intro of Shake It Out but alas), and a bright "War Child" symbol was projected onto the ceiling. We secured a left-front position at the barrier and held on tightly. Before long, Florence and the band emerged from the side of the stage to an enormous roar, took their spots, and thus started the twinkling of the harp to cue Cosmic Love.
From the outset, people were screaming requests, from Hospital Beds, to Which Witch. "Which Witch?!" Florence exclaimed, "that's literally nothing but drums and trumpet. It would sound really, really weird acoustic...". In fact, the whole set was acoustic (or at least if you count drums too, although paradoxically Drumming Song was without), and it made the atmosphere twinkle with even more magic. It also allowed the sheer power of those lungs to shine brighter than ever before. The setlist was as follows:
Cosmic Love
St Jude
Drumming Song
Queen of Peace
Third Eye
Only if For a Night
Heartlines
Silver Springs [Fleetwood Mac Cover]
Long and Lost
Sweet Nothing
What Kind of Man
Ship to Wreck
Caught
Shake it Out
Dog Days are Over
Florence's voice was the best it has ever sounded, with soaring highs in Long and Lost, belts lasting fifteen seconds during Drumming Song, and flittering vocals for Caught. Heartlines and Only if For a Night made a welcome return to the setlist (I even was serenaded at one point during the former song, with Florence pointing right at me singing "in some way I'm there with you, up against the wall on a Wednesday afternoon". It was a Friday but I was willing to let that one go), and Ship to Wreck was by far the most energetic song of the night. It was slightly ruined by one girl screaming "TO WREEEECK" directly in my ear but I don't particularly blame her.
What was nice was that, despite it being a charity gig, lots of fans were present. People were singing along to almost every song, clapping to every beat, and even without the usual strip-request during Dog Days, people were still throwing flowers and coats at Florence.
Objects weren't the only things being thrown to the band; exclamations of "I LOVE YOU", "MARRY ME" and "HOW DO YOU SCREAM SO GOOD?!" were flying from all around the hall. After Sweet Nothing, the guy next to me caught Florence's attention for the third time that night by shouting "IT SOUNDS BETTER WITHOUT CALVIN". Florence shied behind her hand before replying "I won't tell!"
Florence's friends and family were also present (her dad's bright white hair shining like a beacon from the balcony above), with Florence stopping before "What Kind of Man" to explain that her dad has always wanted her to write happy songs, of which she has about 3 - "funnily enough, this next one is sad...like, REALLY sad". Nonetheless, it was beautiful to hear it acoustically. Oh, and this one's sad...and this one...and this one" was an interlude between each song, until finally "AH the one at the end is happy!"
Queen of Peace stole the show, however, with the ending blowing the audience - but not driving them - away. To much delight, Florence also covered Fleetwood Mac for the second time ever. "This is one we've never played live before", to which she added "it's not a new song...it's actually quite old" when fans started cheering at the prospect of new material. And I think that's the other aspect of this gig that was so special; despite Florence stating how intimidating small venues are, she was so interactive. She even threw a fan her water bottle when she shouted that she was really thirsty - "gotta stay hydrated to sing!" Another interaction came as a surprise, when a fan asked about a new tattoo he spotted. "OH, this!" she said, looking nervously at her wrist "it says "How Beautiful" - I got it to remind me that although I went through a really tough time, it all meant something, and it all turned out to be beautiful in a different way".
And that's exactly what this gig was, beautiful. As the energy of Dog Days faded with the last crashes of the drums, no one moved towards the door as the lights flicked on. "We want more, we want more...Florence, Florence, Florence" chanted the audience, holding position for 10 minutes longer, until there was a collective realisation that goodness can't last forever. Then returned the second The Walking Dead moment, as hands stretched like possessed zombies across the barriers to secure a setlist, a flower, or a guitar pick. When the crowd died down and the extent of the clear-up became apparent (a lot of people were drinking coca-cola...), we managed to catch Vladis the lone trumpet player, who was extremely lovely to us. I ended up following Rusty out of the venue (Isa was also there but wasn't performing on stage), and made my way home, reeling from the thought of how Florence + the Machine can turn such a mundane week into magic. Until next time...