In a Guardian cover story last year a very enthusiastic writer proclaimed that 'the world has not seen this kind of profoundly eccentric folk-art minstrel since Kate Bush'. This is just one example of the hyperbole following Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine and yes, it's justified.
At 22, this tall waifish Redhead possesses a voice so strong it could knock the clouds from the sky. Forget Florence and the Machine, her voice IS a machine. She needs no band really but after many years of writing alone she finally put together a band a little over a year ago. To say that the response so far has been overwhelmingly positive is a major understatement. Apart from playing Reading and Glastonbury and co-writing songs with Alex James from Blur, Florence won the Critics Choice award at 2009 Brits and is currently recording 2009s most anticipated release. Sure beats working in retail.
Florence isn't just another run-of-the-mill female singer out to steal Amy Winehouse's soul crown. Although she is trailblazing her contempories, her idiosyncracies and playful personality set her apart from the pack. Her main inspiration is her own imagination which, if her lyrics are anything to go by, is a pretty dark place. Violence features heavily in her songs: 'Girl with One Eye', a song about cutting a girl's eye out; her first single 'Kiss with a Fist', the most upbeat song about domestic violence you'll ever hear and 'My Boy Builds Coffins' a song about, you guessed it, her coffin building boyfriend. Clearly, she is no Duffy- you won't hear any songs of love and loss from Florence and thank the heavens above for that! The last thing we need is another clone.
It is precisely Florence's stunning voice and dark narrative lyrical style which will keep people interested in her long after the current female soul singer fad sweeping the charts becomes boring. Seeing as though boring is a word you could never use to describe Florence, one can only assume she'll survive any trend. Here's to the next ten years, Florence!
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