Support Women Artists Sunday: Florence & the Machine

Florence and The Machine is the name for Florence Welch and her cast of backing musicians. The band has received a great deal of critical acclaim since their inception and were chosen in 2008 as one of the BBC's 'Sound of 2009' shortlist - an honour previously bestowed on the likes of Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Adele.

Florence Welch lives in Camberwell, in South London. She grew up listening to her parents' record collection, which included bands such as The Velvet Underground, Love and The Smiths. At school, her teachers often had to reprimand her for singing in class - something she struggled to stop doing.

Florence has stated in the past that her songs are "stories with consequences and weird morality issues."

The line-up of Florence's band changes regularly. The most recent line-up of the band includes Robert Ackroyd on guitar, Tom Monger on harp, Isabella Summers on keyboards and Christopher Lloyd Hayden on drums.

via Contact Music

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