The absence of Florence and the Machine over the pandemic has been a conspicuous one. The baroque pop singer-songwriter has bided her time, and her outré approach hits even harder following a couple of years in hibernation. It might be referred to in music industry circles as an “underplay” – shows where artists perform at a far smaller venue than they usually would – but there’s nothing underplayed about this evening’s spectacular. The 2,000-capacity Los Angeles Theatre is definitely smaller than the arenas Florence Welch is used to, with her next LA gig taking place at the considerably more capacious Hollywood Bowl, but this 1930s movie palace’s lavish French Baroque-inspired interiors are every bit as flashy as what’s happening on the rose bush-lined stage.
As well as a sizable selection of fan favourites, from “Ship to Wreck” to “Dog Days Are Over”, this evening Florence Welch is premiering songs from her up-and-upcoming fifth album, Dance Fever, which she’s described as “a fairytale in 14 songs”. So far, so Florence. Based on this evening’s balloon-sleeved gown and loose, unadorned hair, Welch is still firmly committed to the pre-Raphaelite aesthetic, and, if anything, is leaning even more into the winsome medieval maiden look that the 19th-century arts movement so idolised.
