I arrive with my gig buddy at the start of the set by second opening band The Horrors. I know little about them other than they are from Southend-On-Sea - as far as I am concerned they get points just for that fact because I have been to Southend-On-Sea and there is nuthin there!
They are what I would describe as an up-to-date 80s techno band trying to pull off a 'Joy Division' type attitude. The lead singer is certainly doing his best Ian Curtis impression. It's a fairly upbeat set until the last song which is a real downer - so much for warming up the crowd!
Florence comes on stage around 9.15pm. The stage is impressively 'art-deco-ed' out with the set itself doubling as a screen. It looks good and fits right in with the Ceremonials aesthetics.
Our flame-haired songstress is also suitably decked out in an all black, guided body suit with a huge black and white zebra striped cape - it's quite an entrance. Add to that the huge amount of people on the stage - band, choir and orchestra - and you've got yourself a very expensive little touring group.
The night begins with Ceremonials track Only for a Night. The majority of the crowd is young and receptive and they seem to get going with the next track - What the Water Gave Me - which has an exceptional live sound. There is no doubt that Florence Welch has decent set of lungs on her - her voice is very strong and the music matches it. The only thing which she seems to lack is the matching stage persona. When she first speaks to the crowd her voice is tentative and nervous and she admits that she is suffering from the jitters and is somewhat lost for words. This is a little surprising given that she has sold out three nights at Ally Pally and has shifted a decent number of units of her album - she clearly has the support of her fans and cannot be nervous about that. This coquettish banter is endearing to begin with but several giddy laughs and nonsensical comments later and it is starting to detract from the very strong stage presence that her voice and her music originally set up. Perhaps she needs to take a leaf out of PJ Harvey's book and ditch the stage banter entirely and let the music do the talking.
The highlights of the set are the songs that soar - Shake It Out, Dog Days Are Over and Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (where Florence invites all the ladies in the audience to jump up on the shoulders of their men or mates). There's obviously not a lot of material for Florence to work with so the gig runs just over 90 minutes.
The punters are happy and its a good performance but not a great one. I am hopeful that Florence's onstage confidence with improve to the level of her voice and music - I suppose that we'll find out the next time.
We then start the long trek down the hill to the tube station - my biggest tip: skip the buses and walk.
More photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59794835@N00/sets/72157629562884925/
Set list:
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- Encore:
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(The Source cover)
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