July 18 | Written By Emily Whitchurch

“Is this how it is? Is this how it’s always been? To exist in the face of suffering and death and somehow still keep singing?”

Pulled from their latest album, these lyrics feel emblematic of the Florence + The Machine tour experience. The Dance Fever album, released in May 2022, is a feverish celebration of catharsis, weaving despair and anger alongside hope and resilience. Written during the pandemic, Florence successfully channels a ‘dance fever’ akin to medieval dancing plagues, with her modern audience hanging off every note. The band are performing across Europe this summer, headlining festivals including Boardmasters, Sziget and Rock en Seine after a trio of shows in Ireland on June 26th, 27th and 28th.

Night 1 at Musgrave Park, Cork, was a triumphant start to the band’s Irish leg. On stage, chandeliers draped in lace embodied Florence’s haunting beauty, with their Dickensian ‘rotting grandeur’ capturing the paradox of her performance: soft-spoken yet operatic, gentle but fierce. After impressive support from Nell Mescal and The Last Dinner Party, Florence slowly emerged from the chandeliers, dripping in ruffles and lace to open the show with the theatrical Heaven is Here.

Then came King, the opening song on the Dance Fever album which climaxes in a cathartic scream, before Florence launched into 2015 hit Ship to Wreck, flinging herself across the stage. In Free, she confronts the heavy grip of anxiety against energetic synth beats. “And for a moment, when I’m dancing, I am free” she sang - this felt reflective of the entire performance, with the crowd’s ‘dance fever’ erupting in a shared celebration of movement.

Cork was also graced with the live debut of Mermaids, the final song released for the Dance Fever album and the inspiration for many fans’ extravagent outfits. Written as an ode to drunk English girls, Florence dedicated the performance to drunk Irish girls, always putting the crowd at the core of her performance. Her energy and excitement were infectious as the crowd jumped in unison, a collective body of frenzied joy.

The three-song encore included some of the band’s most adored tracks, with Florence confessing that Never Let Me Go is particularly difficult to sing, both technically and emotionally. Of course, she delivered it perfectly, cradling the crowd in vast vocals.

Night 2 brought us to the beautiful Malahide Castle, Dublin. Bursting with confidence and charm, CMAT - aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson - joined Nell Mescal to warm up the crowd. The band surprised us with an acoustic performance of Sweet Nothing, the chart-topping electronic dance track originally produced by Calvin Harris in 2012. With 20,000 stunned fans screaming the lyrics with her, Florence’s voice soared over stripped-back instrumentals.

After the fleeting rawness of Prayer Factory came the surging grandiosity of Big God. Clutching our hands from atop the barrier, Florence sang “shower your affection, let it rain on me” as the crowd did exactly that. Shortly after, the audience overflowed with delight as the opening chords of Dog Days Are Over echoed from the harp, instantly recognisable as the band’s biggest hit. Partway through, Florence encouraged newcomers and veterans alike to put their phones away, initiating what has become a classic phone-free ritual. Suprisingly, we all listened, and the sea of screens melted away in favour of real connection with one another.

Night 3 saw Florence and the Machine perform at Belsonic festival in Belfast, with a deafening crowd undeterred by rain showers. The band played Sweet Nothing for a second time, much to the crowd’s delight, and surprised us with What the Water Gave Me from their 2011 album Ceremonials. Jumping around the stage, tambourine in hand, Florence’s joy was irresistable.

Florence’s connection to her audience is palpable throughout, frequently transcending the physical and psychological barrier between the stage and the crowd. She descended onto the barrier to perform the bewitching Dream Girl Evil, gripping eager hands and chanting into awestruck faces to condemn the double standards imposed on women with both ferocity and satire. During Choreomania, Florence twirled in an ethereal green dress before sprinting barefoot around the parameters of the crowd, flinging herself up onto a barrier to surprise fans at the back.

Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up) from the 2009 debut album proved a perfect ending to each night - people were joyfully raised up onto each other’s shoulders as Florence demanded “human sacrifices”, before the euphoric harp ensued and flower crowns were thrown at her feet.

As Florence acknowledged, a huge part of the shows is the people who attend them. On stage, she urged us to “tell each other that you love each other”, basking in the joy of post-pandemic human connection. Adorning each other’s cheeks with glitter, spending hours queuing outside the venues, coming together from all over the world, it was clear that fans have cultivated a community of kindness that made my experience even more special. Each crowd was overflowing with creativity and warmth, a sense of something even greater than the magic we witnessed on stage.

Ultimately, Florence triumphs with her vocals and lyrics, her “machine” is unfaltering, and the Dance Fever tour asserts itself as a ritual of dance and purging of emotion - pure choreomania.

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