Florence Welch on . . .


HER AMERICAN FANBASE:
"After the VMAs I felt like suddenly America took notice. Before that I had a fantastic and extremely supportive, but pretty underground, fan base. America is so big that you kind of need an opportunity like that to make it. The radio play in America is strange because its so segregated: you’re either rock, pop, country, or alternative, and the songs on this album cross over so many different genres I think it was pretty hard to place. But now it seems like it’s taking off a bit, which is funny because the album’s been out for so long in England. Playing live is how I made my name in England, and I’m really looking forward to coming back to America in October to do some more touring."

THE VIDEO FOR 'DOG DAYS ARE OVER':
"The narrative of the song is quite ambiguous, I’m not sure if it’s happy or sad. It’s chaotic and apocalyptic and choral and sad and celebratory all at the same time, with tribal and gospel influences, so that gave us a blank slate and a lot to play with, if that makes any sense. I think my only specifications were that I didn’t want to look pretty and I wanted there to be exploding people, so we kind of had a free-for-all stylistically, going from ethereal goddess with blue Bhangra backup dancers, through to kabuki sex monk with psychedelic choir and tribal drummers, and a feral smoke child complete with riot explosion. I think we managed to get away with it without all being committed."

HER STAGE WARDROBE:
"Something long and floaty I suppose. Stevie Nicks said that it was good to wear something loose that flows around you, and I kind of agree with that. It’s nice to feel that your outfit is doing a performance as well, and what you wear really dictates how you play.

CRAZY THINGS SHE'S DONE FOR MUSIC:
"Erm..rigging climbing that made my mum cry, crowd-surfing that made me cry, touring Europe in a camper van with my dad as the tour manager being paid 50 Euros a gig split between 4, painting people bright blue, nearly choking to death on coloured smoke, being locked in a duvet-insulated cupboard for 24hrs doing a million backing vocals, and generally sending myself and my family insane making the first record."

WACKY SONG INSPIRATION:
"Me and my dad had this conversation about subatomic particles very late at night and he was telling me about these atoms called “strangeness and charm,” and how they are so tiny we cant see them but we can feel their effects."

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