Florence Black // O2 Islington, LONDON
florence black bring the fire and the fury to london
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
FLORENCE BLACK AT O2 ISLINGTON, LONDON
PHOTOS BY: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI
On a chilly autumnal evening, the O2 Islington is becoming host to yet another uprising, as Florence Black are back in town for their headline tour, supported by The Virginmarys. You could smell the electricity in the atmosphere before even entering the packed out venue, and by the end of the night the walls still seemed to vibrate.
When the lights dimmed around 8pm, The Virginmarys came on stage that was adorned with a pink led cable, leading straight to the duo. The singer/guitarist – blue hair, swagger, and red dress shoes (what a fashion statement, please let’s see more of that!) and the drummer looked like they were about to deliver the audience the night of their lives. From the first chord, the duo opened the night with the punchy ‘You’re A Killer’. The setlist was short but sweet, including songs such as ‘NYC’, ‘My Nettle’ and ‘There Ain’t No Future’. Despite having a lean format, they didn’t feel lacking – the drums were on another level, feral yet precise, including crashes, fills and cowbells, whilst the vocals and guitar solos felt confident and snazzy.
At ‘Bang Bang Bang’ (the set closer) the crowd was very visibly warmed up, cheering and headbanging along, raising their fists and nodding. As the final guitar chords echoed into the room, the energy did not die down. The band had very obviously won over a lot of people in the audience who only came for the headliner, and left the stage with confidence that they had done what they were brought to do.
Florence Black came on stage in a storm of strobes and smoke. The room was maxed in capacity by this point, as the energy avalanched. The trio exploded on the stage with theatricality, flashing lights that felt like a metal jump-scare and a setlist that had the audience in a chokehold. Starting off with ‘Rockin’ Ring’ and ‘Start Again’, the swagger and the hammering of the band created a flow that was captivating. The drumming was arresting, the bass line was vibrating in the room and the vocals had people singing along and headbanging from the start of the set all the way to the end. The sequence of the songs was also very deliberate as it blended raw yet melodic songs, which were like a high intensity workout. Crowd favourites included ‘The Deep End’, ‘Black Cat’, ‘Back To The End’ and ‘Can You Feel It’, as well as ‘Look Up’ and ‘Zulu’.
But the show did not stop there. Florence Black executed two incredible covers ‘Paranoid’ by Sabbath – which only seems fitting – and ‘Breadfan’ by Budgie, ending with their own ‘Sun & Moon’. Whilst there was not a lot of moshing, the bodies surged to the front and the fans at the barricade screamed the lyrics back to the band. There was a bit of reckless joy mixed with virtuoso solos, theatricality and swagger that made the crowd feel like they were not in a small venue, but part of something bigger.
Florence Black’s headline London show felt like they crossed a threshold – they are no longer an upcoming band, they are a force. The setlist was perfectly curated to catch fans’ attention, and the crowd answered with unfiltered devotion and warmth. If this is where Florence Black is going, then the road ahead looks very exciting.
REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI
