(Credits: Far Out / Universal Music)
Thu 14 August 2025 4:00, UK
We all just take it for granted that Florence and the Machine is actually a band, don’t we?
Everyone’s so used to seeing Florence Welch flouncing around in all her ethereal glory that it’s easy to forget the fact that there is a second part of her stage moniker… but no one really knows what it means.
Of course, there is symbolism to be found in this. Welch goes front and centre, gaining the indie pop adoration of the world, while the rest of her minions work tirelessly behind the scenes without any of the credit. It’s admittedly a harsh, but not entirely untrue, assertion to make. It mirrors so much of how the cogs of the music industry turn – one person soaks up all the attention, while everyone else gets left behind. Fuck you, Florence.
No, that is unfair. I am a huge fan, so please realise that I said that in jest. But despite this, the fact remains that the machine component of Florence and the Machine is something that relatively lurks in the shadow of Welch’s spotlight, causing a perennial mystery to anyone trying to crack the code of one of the most prolific British bands of the past nearly two decades.
So, who is ‘the machine’?
The first thing to say from the off here is that, in itself, the name Florence and the Machine is a slight bit of a misnomer. It is undeniably Welch’s brand through and through that leads the entire process, with a series of session musicians switching in and out between the recording studio and the stage over the years to create their sound.
By this standard, you could suggest this also goes some way in explaining ‘the machine’. It’s something that keeps constantly moving and changing as their sonic journey evolves, and as with any type of machinery, you need to update your equipment to meet different standards and expectations as time moves on.
But equally in this respect, that makes it all sound pretty mechanical. At the beating heart of Florence and the Machine is a sense of true visceral emotion and human connection, so how does this come to play in the equation? Well, there is actually a pretty straightforward answer. Back when the group was in its inception phase in the mid-2000s, Welch met producer Isabella Summers, who later went on to become her keyboardist. Dubbing her with the nickname ‘the machine’ due to her skills in electronic music, the group gave their earliest performances under the not-so-catchy moniker of Florence Robot/Isa Machine.
In this sense, the machine is both a symbol and a person within the Florence and the Machine history, and the contrast of both is ultimately what gives the band its allure. As they gear up for their new era, naturally, with Welch leading the charge, it’s not clear what entity her entourage will have in shaping this next step – but if one thing’s certain, it’ll just keep chugging on.
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