Florence Welch is on the move, literally. She’s always been one for pogo-ing, twirling and shimmying, but on stage at the du Arena on Saturday night, she was running for her life. The leggy singer — backed by her band, The Machine — raced up and down the stage, and off it too, heading down to the photographers’ pit and reaching out to a dazzled audience.
I’d say her need for speed was a reflection of the location — she was on the third of four nights of concerts at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend (Blur close out the festivities on Sunday night). But this is also part of Welch’s new show, which she’s been touring around the US and Australia in the past few months for her latest album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.
She famously broke her foot at the Coachella music festival earlier this year, but that didn’t slow her down on Saturday night. Wearing the 1970s style that she’s known for — a white satin waistcoat, blue chiffon blouse and white flares — she was all smiles and chatter throughout the show, encouraging the crowd to jump, raise their hands, and, after a polite request, to put away their phones.
“I can be like that too, you know,” she says, cupping her hands and looking into them. “But let’s be like this,” she added, casting her arms wide open above her head.
Positivity was a major theme; despite the fact that many of her songs deal with heartbreak and anguish, they are strangely uplifting, and Welch’s powerful vocals and stage presence make it something of a spiritual experience. I half expected someone to jump up and shout “testify” whilst waving their arms in the air.
She opened with a track from her second album, Ceremonials, called What The Water Gave Me, getting that harp that was on the stage twanging away from the get-go. Accompanied by a full-band — including a three-piece brass section — it was a treat for live music lovers. Welch’s vocals are on point, the kind of live singer you yearn for — emotional, soulful and pitch-perfect.
The one-and-a-half-hour set included everything a fan could have wanted to hear, from Dog Days Are Over, Drumming Song and Rabbit Heart from her first album, Lungs; Shake It Out and Spectrum, with its “say my name” chorus; and a slew of songs from the latest album, a highlight being What Kind Of Man.
