Live Review: Florence & The Machine, Jack River, Marlon Williams

Kiwi Marlon Williams fronted the crowd with a guitar in hand, treating us to an endearing set of atmospheric folk songs. Williams was all charm and grace on stage but he did indulge on a few numbers – showing off his outstanding voice in a series of vocal gymnastics sessions.

Jack River was here to stand out from the crowd, walking out in a sparkling silver suit, while her band were dressed all in white. Banger Palo Alto was the second song of the set, much to the crowd’s delight, but unfortunately River’s vocals were sounding a little strained – strange for the singer, who is usually in fine form. Thankfully she recovered on Fault Line, before whipping out her excellent cover of Tal Bachman’s She’s So High, which initiated a wave of frenzied singing with friends. River closed her set with timeless number Fool’s Gold.

The Domain was heavy with anticipation and excitement as we awaited Florence & The Machine’s arrival. There was a moment of collective disbelief when Florence Welch stepped onto the stage, but we soon came to and welcomed her with screams of adoration. She wasted no time launching into June to kick off the set, before pulling out Hunger, which sounded so powerful with thousands of people singing it back.

Watching Welch bound around on stage was mesmerising and she never once faltered. Every song sounded just as it does on record; it is truly amazing how seamlessly her voice changes from airy heights to deep lows as she moves through the set featuring Between Two Lungs, Only If For A Night and Patricia. It is also surprising to hear this powerful voice diminish as she checks in with the crowd in such a softly spoken manner.

The familiar notes of Dog Days Are Over signalled a lighter moment in the set – singing and dancing ensued. She chose to close the set with Delilah and What Kind Of Man, which was simultaneously joyous and cathartic.

Not many experiences are ever going to compare to hearing Welch encore with Big God though. It was equally intense and cleansing – an out of this world experience. We only mildly recovered enough to enjoy dancing to Shake It Out as the closer. We definitely all walked out a little lighter.