FLORENCE & THE MACHINE, GLASTO '15
So last night I was busily reading a pretty incredible book titled 'I'll Give You The Sun' by Jandy Nelson (a gushing review is most definietly going to be making an appearance soon dear readers) when my Dad happened to switch the TV channel to BBC1, and then the red button, so we could catch some of the Glastonbury footage. I was happily reading away whilst the likes of The Libertines, Circa Waves and Jungle played superbly away in the background, until the hour reached 11pm and the airwaves suddenly announced that Florence & The Machine's surprise headline set was about to begin on BBC2. My original plan was to again do a spot of reading whilst Florence's set played in the background, but that plan was thrown to the sharks and gobbled up into eternity because as soon as I uttered those words "um Mum, do you think you could, er, put Florence & The Machine on please" I was subsequently completely transfixed under Florence's captivating, magical spell, because oh my... HOW INCREDIBLE WAS FLORENCE LAST NIGHT?!
As soon as I realised reading was going to be impossible with Florence cascading around the stage so ethereally (and so very Kate Bush), putting on the most finest and captivating of shows, I decided I'd watch for maybe half an hour and then call it a night (I was feeling incredibly tired for some reason). The long and short of it is that that didn't happen, and no surprises next when I say that I actually ended up watching the whole entire set from start to finish, and then went on to stay up till half one, listening to Fleetwood Mac and imagining I was Stevie Nicks. Florence & The Machine were just that incredible, and what's more so is that they managed to put on that phenomenally spectacular show at such short notice. With the equally incredible Foo Fighters initially securing one of those precious headline slots, when Dave Grohl had to step down due to his unfortunately timed leg injury, Florence & The Machine were unexpectedly thrust into the centre stage when Emily Eavis asked them to take the Foos place.
All images belong to the BBC!
Now it's fair to say that an awful lot of people had their doubts as to whether they would be able to do the coveted slot justice, subsequently meaning that Florence Welch herself had quite possibly the biggest pressure and expectations of them all riding upon her shoulders, with her duty as front woman leaving her with the massive responsibility of 1) proving the haters wrong and 2) somehow managing to entertain a humongous field full of expectant people, many of whom had spent the best part of a year hoping to see the Foo Fighters. I wouldn't say I'm a diehard Florence & The Machine fan, but I desperately wanted the band to defy expectations, as well as all that suppressing negativity, and show the world just how incredible they are. Show the world how much they deserved that headline slot. I guess in part it was also because last night was an amazing opportunity for Florence herself to raise a fist for us women, do one for gender equality, and prove that women can put on just as much of a hypnotising, phenomenal, electrifying show as our male counterparts. Especially with the recent controversy of the evidently female lacking Reading & Leeds line up, to see such a powerful, liberated, electric female icon taking that Pyramid stage by storm and rising to the momentous challenge set before her, and ultimately conquering it so profoundly, was a truly mesmerising and inspiring sight to see as a young woman myself.
I adored the twinkling, glittering stage décor, consisting of a gigantic mirage of reflective squares illuminating all the beams of colourful light thrown at them, with hues of blue, orange, yellow and white bathing the stage. I adored Florence's perfectly balanced feminine yet masculine outfit of shimmering pale blue suit paired with a free flowing, Stevie Nicks- esque silk shirt, and how her autumnal toned hair curled and coiled into little spirals at the ends, riding the breeze as Florence fluttered around and commanded the stage. I adored how Florence gave each and every second her utmost all, projecting her gorgeous voice right across the Glastonbury fields, letting the music entrance her soul and then pour out of her almost, enlightening everyone in its proximity. With every twirl, every pirouette, every leap, every twist and turn of her hands, I found myself half expecting beams of pure magic, glitter, electricity to shoot out into the midnight sky, releasing whatever amazing notion was evidently brewing within Florence, as she seized her moment to shine. It was just spectacular viewing, as was seeing each of Florence's carefully chosen songs from her impressive back catalogue of work, spanning three critically acclaimed albums, be brought to life by Florence and her band and then transfix the thousands and thousands of people there to take this mesmerizing sight in. Florence should be so proud of herself for the performance she delivered last night. With that amazing voice and presence she showed the world just how incredible she is, how deserving she is of her success and acclaim and the amazing opportunities, such as this, that come her way. And even though this chance to shine might have come earlier than expected, the fact that Florence pulled it off so sensationally shows what a brilliant performer and musician she has become, and this career defining moment has prematurely unleashed that dazzling electric potential lying patiently within her and showcased it to the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment