Florence and the Machine unveiled their spring U.S. concert schedule that will take the band across the country for the first time. But it will be strictly a low key affair. Singer Florence Welch says the songs will stand on their own.
“In a way, it’s not going to be too big a production; we’ve done a lot of quite extravagant stuff, and that’s been amazing, but for this tour, it’s definitely going to be about showcasing the music,” she told MTV.
“The songs are going to be the most important thing. It will be heavily based on the music … no bells and whistles just yet, we’re going to try and keep it quite pure.”
Florence and the Machine Tour Dates
• 4/14 — Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
• 4/15 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
• 4/17 — Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort
• 4/18 — Davis, CA @ Mondavi Center at UC Davis
• 4/20 — Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
• 4/21 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Cosmopolitan
• 4/22 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
• 4/27 — Minneapolis, MN @ Hennepin Theatre
• 4/28 — Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
• 4/29 — St. Louis @ Peabody Opera House
• 5/1 — Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
• 5/2 — Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theatre
• 5/3 — New Orleans @ Jazz & Heritage Festival
• 5/8 — New York @ Radio City Music Hall
• 5/11 — Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
• 5/12 — Atlantic City @ Borgata Event Center
The English indie pop band, with lead singer Welch and a collaboration of other artists, have been gaining momentum in the United States, after establishing themselves in the UK, mainly through “BBC Introducing,” a radio show that features up-and-coming artists.
Florence + Machine Best UK Band
This is the first time Welch and the Machine will tour the United States, after appearances in New York City at the Bowery Ballroom and on David Letterman’s show in 2009. The band performed on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and did an online-only concert at New York City’s Ed Sullivan Theater as part of the “Live on Letterman” concert series.
The tour will support Ceremonials their second studio album, released last October by Island Records. Their debut album Lungs in 2009 was critically acclaimed in the UK. It’s sold more than 1.4 million copies as of November 2011 in Great Britain.
“I want my music to sound like throwing yourself out of a tree, or off a tall building, or as you’re being sucked down into the ocean and you can’t breathe” says Florence.
“It’s something overwhelming and all-encompassing that fills you up, and you’re either going to explode with it, or you’re just going to disappear,” she says.
Her soaring, epic vocals, quirky melodies and self-contained musical world have already won her the 2009 Critics Choice Award at the Brit Awards. the UK equivalent of the Grammys.
Some compare her to Kate Bush with touches of Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Bjork. but she’s definitely an original. Her punk/new wave pro-forma nuances also recall Christina and Lydia Lunch. Remember them?