It was a majestic and spellbinding night of theatrics
Florence + the Machine brings a blend of supernatural power to the stage(Image: Lillie Eiger)
When conceptual artist Marina Abramović came to Manchester last autumn, she brought with her a brigade of performers who celebrated the ritualistic, often mad, traditions of the Balkan islands. One of the elements of the Baltic Erotic Epic show featured a group of women performing the ancient Anasyrma gesture, consisting of them lifting their skirts up whilst screaming towards the sky in an attempt to scare the gods and prevent a storm. However, instead of warning the gods, it might have actually entertained them because they want more.
Enter Florence + The Machine at Co-op Live on a suitably rainy Friday evening (February 20). Lead singer Florence Welch’s four dancers, appropriately named the Witch Choir, all dressed in white dresses, recreate their own version of Anasyrma as they pounce, grunt and lift their skirts up to the crowd. It’s Balkan theatrics mixed with Pendle Hill sorcery and a bit of The Wicker Man-style folklore. By that I mean, it’s dramatically enthralling – and I’m here for every minute of it.
For the Everybody Scream tour, named after the band’s most recent album, things were never going to be subtle. The album, a result of recovery after lead singer Florence Welch underwent life-saving surgery during their last tour three years ago, is poetic, haunting and mystical. It’s an ode to power, both spiritually and physically, and the magic carries through into the room with us in Manchester.
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Florence + the Machine at Manchester’s Co-op Live on February 20, 2026(Image: Lillie Eiger)
Opening with the album title, following a series of shrieks and pulsating drum beats, the barefoot lead singer pounces on stage with determination from the get go. A long catwalk stage into the crowd encourages her to pace back and forth quite effortlessly as if by witchy military routine – sometimes skipping, flouncing, and gliding from one side to another. Then, the jazzy intro of album track Witch Power even welcomes a fun little shimmy from Welch, later enthralling herself in a haya aruki-esque semi-jog whilst her dancers Pirouette. It’s a lot to take in at times, but mouths were agape in wonder.
Shake It Out is the first to get all the crowd properly on their feet, with each word bouncing from each angle of the venue back towards the stage. Seven Devils, an album track I adore but one I had resided to the possibility of never hearing live, is eruptive as Florence channels her Mother Supreme – or maybe even her Lady Dimitrescu (IYKYK) – to beckon her Choir to her side in the haunting tale of rage.
With the Everybody Scream tour, Florence + The Machine are at their most theatrical(Image: Lillie Eiger)
Throughout the show, Welch graces the stage with authority amongst her dancers (who are faultless and always moving about), majestically yet always determined in her presence. Daffodil, from 2022’s Dance Fever, is a rousing number and kicks off what is a demonstration of powerhouse vocals and belting audience devotion throughout three songs in the form of Which Witch, Cosmic Love and number one anthem Spectrum, which specifically makes the crowd erupt into song.
Never Let Me Go, from 2011’s Ceremonials, is magical yet vulnerable with the audience then tasked, quite beautifully, to chant back the chorus. In introducing the song, Florence told the crowd it was her sister’s favourite so she felt inclined to add it back to the setlist after a long hiatus. “My sister was clever enough to marry a man from Manchester,” she laughs as she says her sibling is in attendance with us. Another song, Buckle, Welch tells us is ‘too embarrassing to sing’, but she says it has ‘become everyone’s ****ing favourite song so I’m going to have to sing it forever’. The honesty is actually quite charming.
Florence Welch commandeered the Manchester stage from the moment she stepped out(Image: Lillie Eiger)
King, from the latest album, is an ethereal tale of gender norms, with Welch defiantly informing the crowd ‘I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king’. For the thousands of women in attendance, mostly all dressed in ode to the singer, it’s an empowering message that hits hard. For the encore, a euphoric Dog Days are Over reminds everybody of how far the band have come since their 2008 debut – with the joyful rendition evoking such happiness, and a welcome encouragement to put down the phones for three minutes, from everyone within. The joy continues with show-closer And Love, ending on a sense of hope.
With a transfixing presence on stage, Florence + The Machine certainly are king. They are at their most theatrical, but it’s also very much on their own terms. Quite heavy on the representation of Everybody Scream – which is fine as it’s a solid record – it might be missing a few of the big hits missing to fully please casual fans (notably Rabbit Heart and her version of You’ve Got the Love).
As we leave the arena following the solid two-hour set, it’s raining just as it was when we entered. I fear the Balkan-meets-Pendle ritual was unsuccessful in scaring away the weather. But if it manages to conjure up another barmy yet brilliant performance, as did Marina’s last year, then maybe the intended ritual worked all along.