Live Report: Florence + The Machine are transcendent at Malahide Castle

If you haven't seen Florence Welch bounding around a stage barefoot, her timeless dress billowing in the wind before she throws a flower crown into the screeching audience, have you truly lived? Well, probably - but we're adding a touch of the drama to the review, given the otherworldly theatrics of Florence + The Machine's Dance Fever tour.

Having delivered a liberating set at Cork's Musgrave Park earlier in the week, supported by rising UK rockers The Last Dinner Party, the Dubs waited on the sidelines for their turn at Malahide Castle, and it was worth the countdown. While grey clouds threatened showers, the rain mostly held off for the entire night, as if by the sheer will of Florence  alone; though she would have embraced the cinematic element of dancing in the rain like nobody else.

Last November, the London pop-rock star was forced to postpone her 3Arena Dublin show, among others, due to a broken foot. "I can’t wait to be back on my feet and back in your arms," Florence Welch said, returning to the Irish capital on February 8th, and garnering rave reviews. The 36-year-old Camberwell native's utter devotion to live performance is incredibly immersive, dragging even the most cynical gig-goer into her sonic world.

The singer's audience interaction has consistently been cult-like, with videos going viral around the world showing front-row fans bawling crying, their flower crowns tilted as Florence gazes into their eyes or presses her forehead against theirs for a brief moment.

Florence & The Machine Malahide Castle 27-06-23

Malahide Castle was full to the rafters from early on, with Nell Mescal and country-pop sensation CMAT deservedly performing to large swathes of people for their support slots. The former, London-based pop singer-songwriter sounded pitch perfect on stage, performing recent singles 'In My Head', 'Homesick' and 2022's 'Graduating' alongside some unreleased gems. Born and raised in Maynooth, Mescal recently supported Birdy at Dublin's 3Olympia Theatre. Sharing new music via LAB Records, the remainder of this year is set to be pivotal for the 20-year-old rising star.

Next up was CMAT, sporting an incredible "sexy chicken" outfit by Oran J Aurelio. The Dubliner landed fresh after performing an epic Sunday set on Glastonbury's Woodsies stage, later singing alongside one of her heroes, Gilbert O'Sullivan. What better way to finish off a Glastonbury triumph than opening for Florence + The Machine? Global pop star Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson's diary entries must be envy-inducing.

CMAT Supporting Florence & The Machine Malahide Castle 27-06-23

The 27-year-old musician played hits from her No.1 charting debut album, If My Wife New I'd Be Dead - released in February 2022 and later scoring Album of the Year at the Choice Music Prize. CMAT's knack for fun-filled live performance is partially the reason for her swift rise over the last 12 months. A strong (and usually hilarious) community-orientated social media presence acts as the foundation, but her songwriting skills are not to be doubted. She currently maintains a confessional connection to her die-hard, cowboy hat-wearing fans via a newsletter, and her second album Crazymad, For Me is due to drop on October 13th via indie gem label AWAL.

Getting the crowd moving and chanting, CMAT belted out 'No More Virgos', 'Nashville' (the real standout track from her debut, if you ask us), 'I Don't Really Care For You', 'Peter Bogdanovich', '2 Wrecked 2 Care' and new singles 'Whatever's Inconvenient' and 'Have Fun!' before finishing with her biggest smash to date. Somehow, despite a million festival sets and headline shows, CMAT doesn't seem tired of performing the irresistible, addictive hit 'I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!' - a song layered with a deeper meaning for some.

It has an almost transformative effect on the crowd, truly winning over every Florence fanatic who may not have known her name before. They certainly do now, and her star is only ascending higher with every single. Seeing Florence dancing energetically in the wings to her support acts was an added, über wholesome bonus.

CMAT Supporting Florence & The Machine Malahide Castle 27-06-23

Now for the main event. At 9pm, almost on the dot, the gothic stage design was lit up and Florence Welch emerged on stage in a trademark flowing gown. Beaming at the crowd, she raised her arms before starting Dance Fever track 'Heaven Is Here'. "Oh, bring your salt, bring your cigarette / Draw me a circle and I'll protect / Heaven is here if you want it," she sings, her spine-tingling vocals echoing around the field, stopping everyone in their tracks. Pounding drums stop any and all conversations, as the crowd stays transfixed on her every word. "And еvery song I wrote became an escape rope / Tied around my neck to pull me up to Heaven," she says, twisting her hair around her fingers and pulling as the lights go down.

Next up is Dance Fever favourite 'King', a track born to be performed live out of the darkness of pandemic isolation. Welch has been vocal about the impact of venues and gigs closing on her mental state, feeling like a boat unmoored as she tried to continue her creative streak at home in London. The resulting songs are a testament to her love of movement, communion, catharsis and freedom. Her struggles with anxiety and depression remain at the core of much of the euphoric music, despite their soaring melodies and infectious nature - thinly veiled over poetic, mythological lyrics.

Florence & The Machine Malahide Castle 27-06-23

The entire field screaming the climactic note back to her after she repeats the mantra "I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king" is enough to start her own religion, if she felt so inclined. 'Ship To Wreck' from 2015 album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful brought us back down to earth, before worry-ridden 'Free' is a reminder of the power of Dance Fever. Produced by Jack Antonoff (of Lana del Rey, Taylor Swift, Lorde co-writer and producer fame) and Glass Animals' Dave Bayley, the project exercises Florence's demons, and the resulting soundscapes are brimming with melodrama, exhilaration and devastation. It's like being a fly on the wall during one of her counselling sessions.

"Sometimes I wonder if I should be medicated / If I would feel better just slightly sedated / A feeling comes so fast and I cannot control it / I'm on fire, but I'm trying not to show it," she tells the crowd as the drum beat propels the music higher and higher. The audience goes feral when 'Dog Days Are Over' begins, having gone viral on TikTok after appearing in the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie two months ago. She still gives every inch of her body and soul while delivering the iconic Lungs track, despite having sung it thousands of times. 'Dream Girl Evil' and 'Prayer Factory' illustrate the darkness running through Dance Fever, before 'Big God, 'Hunger' and 'June' provide some enthralling throwbacks.

Florence & The Machine Malahide Castle 27-06-23

'You Got The Love' receives one of the loudest responses from the Dublin crowd, which swiftly becomes a sea of teenagers sitting on others' shoulders, brandishing iPhones and vapes. Many of them were about four years old when the singer originally dropped the Candi Station cover in 2008, but Florence is for every generation.

Welch breezes into 'Choreomania' – a track named for a medieval epidemic of involuntary movement, a “dance fever” understood then as a form of possession, and now as more of a mass stress response. 'Kiss With A Fist' takes us down a rock route, the singer twirling around the Malahide Castle stage as if she's in a world of her own, running down to the crowd whenever she gets the chance. Hit single 'Cosmic Love' elevates us to the pearly gates, her distinctive vocals still leading to jaws dropping over a decade after it was released.

An acoustic version of 'Sweet Nothing' goes down a treat with the younger, dance-orientated crowd, as they request fellow Calvin Harris collaboration 'Spectrum (Say My Name)' to no avail. Well, they were being greedy, even though Florence is a generous host. The musician asks us to put our phones away for one song only, and be present in the experience with her. Those under the age of 21 look as if she's asked them to run over their own dog. There's definitely a split in the audience between fervent gig attendees pre-lockdown and those only now learning the ropes, shall we say.

Florence & The Machine Malahide Castle 27-06-23

Epic new album track 'My Love', a chart-topper produced by Dave Bayley, harnesses Glass Animals' more synth-focused melodies that have earned them No.1 hits around the world. A track describing writer's block and the need to pour out your feelings onto a blank page, it ultimately traces the intense frustration of quarantine. Running from one side of the stage to the other before asking the crowd to get down low, the song reaches a thrilling high as 20,000 people oblige her and jump for as long as they can.

Before she exits the stage, Florence finishes with a live debut of her latest single 'Mermaids', inviting members of the delirious crowd onto the stage to dance with her. "And the world is so much wilder than you think / You haven't seen nothing 'til you've seen an Irish girl drink," she belts with a laugh, changing the lyrics.

It's a moving, magical moment that perfectly snapshots her deep-rooted tie to physically meeting her listeners and inviting them into her world. As Malahide Castle stays and chants "one more tune", she returns in her floaty turquoise gown to sing older classics 'Shake It Out' and 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)'. It leaves gig-goers more than happy, with the exultant sound of the choruses inviting a natural sing-along. Florence's haunting voice rings around the area like a call to prayer. Taking a bow, she thanks her crew and The Machine, smiling from ear before she glides off stage.

Nearly 15 years into a career that began when she drunkenly sang to her future manager in a club bathroom, Florence Welch decided to examine her relationship to performance. Her fifth record Dance Fever emphasises the artist's continuous push and pull connection with concerts, but ultimately, she can't escape her lifelong bond with the stage. It's where she belongs; we're just lucky to be part of the experience for a brief two hours.