Florence Welch: Why the Star Forced Fans to Put Their Phones Away
Twenty thousand fans at the London O2 arena witnessed a moment of collective recalibration Tuesday night as Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine halted mid-performance of her 2008 hit “Dog Days Are Over,” demanding the audience lower their phones. The gesture, reported by The Independent, underscored a growing tension between experiencing live performance and documenting it for social media.
Welch’s insistence on presence comes as artists increasingly grapple with the ubiquity of smartphone recording at concerts. While acknowledging her own participation – admitting to filming a rendition of “Cosmic Love” earlier in the set – she argued that the true experience of witnessing her performance was diminished through a screen. “Be present,” she implored, stating that phone-captured footage would be “f***ing awful.”
The incident highlights Welch’s established position as a leading figure in British alternative rock. Since the release of “Kiss with a Fist” in 2008, she has garnered critical acclaim and a devoted following, becoming, alongside Arctic Monkeys, one of the most successful British alt-rock acts of her generation. Her influence extends beyond her own work, with collaborations including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé citing her as an inspiration. Her sound is also cited as a precursor to the gothic maximalism of contemporary artists like Chappell Roan and The Last Dinner Party.
Despite her success, Welch has faced criticism throughout her career, often dismissed as overly theatrical or earnest. A notable example occurred in 2022 when she continued a performance at the London O2 after sustaining a foot injury, an event that received only a four-star review despite the dramatic circumstances. This experience became the basis for the song “Music by Men” on her latest album, Everybody Scream, where she addresses the perceived double standard in how male and female artists are evaluated.
Everybody Scream, described as “wild, profound and audacious,” directly confronts the challenges faced by female artists. The album includes the track “One of the Greats,” in which Welch sings about achieving recognition alongside her male peers, questioning the ease with which “boring music” by men is canonized. “I’ll be up there with the men and the 10 other women in the hundred greatest records of all time,” she sings, adding, “It must be nice to be a man and make boring music just because you can.”
The album’s creation coincided with a deeply personal medical crisis. In 2023, Welch suffered a ruptured ectopic pregnancy during a festival performance in Cornwall, requiring emergency surgery. She shared with The Guardian that the experience brought her closer to both life and death, and continues to hope for children. This loss is directly addressed in the song “You Can Have It All,” while the album as a whole explores the physical and psychological toll of performance and the sacrifices required to maintain an artistic life.
Welch’s demand for audience presence at the O2 builds on a history of impactful performances. She notably headlined the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2015 after Dave Grohl’s injury forced Foo Fighters to withdraw, joining Adele and Dua Lipa as one of only three British women to headline the festival this century. A performance at the John Peel stage at Glastonbury in 2009, where she climbed the stage rigging, remains a vivid memory for many, including the reporter who attended without a camera phone.
Florence + The Machine are currently on tour in support of Everybody Scream, with upcoming dates across the UK and Europe, as announced by Google News.