How do you improve on perfection? Ask Florence Welch, who appears to have done just that on her new album Ceremonials which was unveiled to the world last night at the Hackney Empire. From first impressions it blows the magnificent debut Lungs, completely out of the water. Having tried and failed on countless occasions to get tickets to see her perform, luck was finally on my side and last minute I got my hand on a pair of coveted tickets for her final gig of 2011.
Opening with "Only if for a night", Florence arrived on stage with a soaring gem of a song and the crowd went wild. She flitted around the stage, effortlessly belting out her new repertoire with total ease. The best word to describe the hour long set is mesmerising. Particular highlights were "No Light, No Light", "Heartlines", already released "Shake it out" and "What the water gave me", and "Lover to Lover". Florence also rewarded her fans with an epic performance of "Rabbit Heart" and the ever popular "Dog Days".
The real test of last night's gig was that the majority of the material was brand new but this didn't matter as every single number was stirring, epic and instantly exhilarating. For me music is important because of the way it can make you feel and what I heard last night made me feel jubilant. I felt like I was part of something really special, and was honoured even, to see Florence and the Machine live, in this relatively intimate venue, showcasing new material - that from this very first listen is undoubtedly going to be all anyone is listening to next year. This is the album of 2012, in the way that Lungs was the album of 2010. Ceremonials - buy it.
If you can't wait until the 31st then you can stream the album here:
http://eurotrashmusic.co/2011/blog/international/florence-the-machine-ceremonials-full-album-stream/#.Tqe77D_68Ts.twitter
Listen to Shake it Out
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