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She describes how it has altered her performance
Florence Welch has revealed her thoughts about her performance on the main stage at Glastonbury this year, following breaking her ankle stage diving at Coachella.
In a new interview with Billboard she recalled how long she had dreamt of appearing on the bill.
"I remember being 20 at the Glastonbury festival," Welch says. "I remember looking at the Pyramid Stage and thinking, ‘I wish I could perform there just one time.'" For this year's festival, Florence + the Machine will get that particular slot. "It’s hard to imagine that you think about something you’d like to have happen in your life and it happens," she admits. "For a pessimistic British person that’s very hard to deal with."
Welch also revealed how the injury she suffered at Coachella has forced changes in her stage setup. "I don’t know why the foot break happened, but it forced me in a way to slow down and have the same person who wrote this record to show up and sing those songs.” She also clarified that there was no reason other than exhuberance for jumping into the crowd. "I wasn’t even drunk".
Welch had previously posted on Facebook that she had "broken my foot from leaping off the stage". While this shouldn't effect her forthcoming festival shows it may mean you'll see a slightly more static Welch than usual. "Unfortunately while this heals, my performances will have to be somewhat stripped back. I'm so sorry, I'm pretty devastated, but I still want to do the shows. I understand this is not what you were expecting, but I hope its just as enjoyable. I'm going to try and make it super special for you."
She did however insist that she would be fine by the time of her set at Worthy Farm. "By the time Glastonbury rolls around I should be back on my feet. This album was so much about making something from what was broken, so lets see what we can do with this."
She also shared an X-Ray that revealed the extent of her injuries.
Below: Florence reveals the X-Ray of her broken foot after Coachella
Florence + The Machine recently released the video for her new single 'Ship To Wreck', taken from her forthcoming third album. The singer has previously shared two tracks from How Big How Blue How Beautiful - 'What Kind Of Man' and 'St. Jude'. The videos for those were directed by Vincent Haycock as part of an ongoing narrative that will span the album's life.
Watch the video for 'Ship To Wreck' below
Discussing the new song, Welch said: “I was thinking about my own self destructive side, and how you can make something only to tear it down, enjoy/destroy, create/devastate etc. When you're in that whirlwind, you often end up breaking the thing you love the most.”
'Ship To Wreck' is due for release on 25 May, and the album will follow on 1 June. Aside from this as yet-unannounced UK festival appearance, Florence will be appearing at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich on 23 May alongside Taylor Swift, with a wealth of US and European festival dates also scheduled in for the singer. For tickets check out the details here.
'Try A Little Tenderness' (Cover) - Played during her MTV Unplugged performance, Florence's rendition sounds just as soulful as Otis Redding's original - maintaining the same amount of soul and sweet as honey vocals. Accompanied only by a piano, Florence's operatic voice is on full-display for your aural pleasure.
'Bird Song' - The tale of someone who eats a bird and begins to sound like a bird when they wake up... Yes, this one definitely shows off Florence's more eccentric side. Regardless of your views on eating and becoming meat, 'Bird Song' sees Florence soar to vocal highs like no other.
'Heavy In Your Arms' - Taken from the soundtrack to 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse', this shows Florence at her most primal and bombastic. Earthy and meaty, this is everything that Florence is about. Welch stated that the song "is about the weight of love, and how sometimes it can be a burden between two people".
'Jackson' (Cover) - Another one played during her MTV Unplugged Set, Florence invited rock hero ad QOTSA frontman Josh Homme to the stage for this one. The pair's chemistry is as evident here as that of Johnny Cash and June Carter. The playful nature of the lyrics remains intact, truly warming your insides with its loving sentiment.
'Strangeness and Charm' - The most frenetic of all their songs, it's a shame that this isn't really played live any more, as it's pretty explosive. It's also pretty darn infectious. Plus, it's quite possible that these two words sum up Florence & the Machine's whole ethos.
'Falling' - It's near impossible not to fall in love with the sweeping melodies in this song. 'Falling' truly makes you feel like you're on another planet. There's something so otherworldly about Florence's voice in this track that will charm your socks off. First heard as a demo, the song made it onto a deluxe version of her smash-hit debut album Lungs, and if you skipped over it, go right that wrong now.
'Tear Out My Tongue' - As Gothic as some of the stuff heard on the stunning album Ceremonials, 'Tear Out My Tongue' sees Florence at her most assertive state. Her anger is heard as she cries 'But you wouldn't cry and you wouldn't beg, You just gripped and tore out your teeth instead' and this is something we'd love for her to explore further on her third album.
'My Best Dress' - One of her saddest songs to date, the lyrics to 'My Best Dress' read like a Tennyson poem. When Florence mourns 'I'll kiss you once for life; I'll kiss you twice for death, Hold you close for comfort, wearing my best dress', it will certainly pull at your heartstrings. Her unadulterated despair is as noticeable as that jaw-dropping vocal range.
'Since U Been Gone' (Cover) - Covered for Diesel:U:Music Radio with Mark Ronson, Florence & the Machine takes the polish off of Kelly Clarkson's platinum-selling hit and makes it even rawer. Even though it's acoustic, Florence's voice alone makes it sound worthy of arenas.
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