F+TM entered my conciousness around the time Shake It Out (or possibly Ceremonials itself - they released about a month apart, so it's hard to tell). Of course if I'd been paying attention, I would have known she was a big deal years before.
I couldn't really call myself a proper "Fan" until the last few months where, after my partner started listening to King on high rotation (and the fact that we were going to see her Dance Fever tour performance) prompted me to give her whole catalog a listen.
Yeah, the music was really quite good - very much my thing. I figured the performance would be good (and I originally got the ticket because - hey, if my partner and her friends liked it (they'd all seen F+TM live before), I'd have a good time - I generally like live music, and it would have been a while). I think the last thing I saw was either They Might Be Giants or possibly Kate Miller-Heidke (these stick in my mind anyway) - and these were very much in the before-times
So, being a bit older, and not able to do the 3-4 hours on the show floor like we did for NIN/QUOTSA (the last concert I was on the "floor" for - though I think I may have been to Infected Mushroom after that), we had reserve seating - which means we got to enter like a whole hour before the support act (King Princess) was due to start.
King Princess were good - marred perhaps by sound mixing that wasn't to my preference (I like to hear what's being sung thanks!). I like being surprised by acts (one of the things I miss about the Big Day Out) and I'll probably give them a listen in the forthcoming weeks. They played about an hour set (pretty good for a support act) and their fans were definitely out in force supporting (including, as it turns out, my partner - who at least knows their music, even if she's not a "fan".)
There was about a 20 minute break between acts, and then the lights went down and the crowd started to get real excited. The band members approached their instruments (on what appeared to be a stage lit only by a row of red lights underneath a throne-like backing art piece.)
Then she started. Holy. Shit.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from F+TM (I mean, I knew she would be good but..) - but what I saw over the next 100 odd minutes was a tour-de-force I was not expecting. This easily matches QOTSA/NIN for sheer power and artistry, and given the lack-of-technological accoutrements - actually surpassed Daft Punk (Something I never thought I'd say. DP are good but they did get a lot of assistance courtesy of turning their entire stage into a giant screen)
The opening 20 minutes (the order is fading from memory, but King was near the start, and Heaven Is here, Daffodil and I think Free (if there's ever a song that resonates with creatives as well as those who have the same demons - it's that. Love that track) from what she does were all in there), complete with Florence singing vocals that, to my ears, were pretty damn perfect. There was then a short break while the rest of the band did some filler (and we were treated to some floaty visuals) while Florence sorted some tech issues (it appeared to me that during all of King Princess's set, and the first half of F+TM, the vocalists couldn't hear themselves properly...)
I have rarely in my life seen an artist as animated as Florence is on stage - it is truly a sight to behold - she holds court and everyone are her subjects as the power of the show crashes in waves over everyone.
At this point I definitely became convinced that F+TM should be added to my "If this artist tours where you are - you are buying tickets" list. Also we weren't even half-way through the performance!
I can't remember the setlist enough to order the tracks, but things really went to another level when they did Dream Girl Evil - wherein Florence decided it was time to up the audience engagement wherein she climbed up the D barrier that enforces a gap between the audience and the stage, and then grabbed an audience member's face and began singing Dream Girl Evil to that audience member. It was electric - on the screens we could see everyone around her in the audience losing their minds (while they were, of course, at least mouthing along to the lyrics, or saying "oh my god") - the audience member who was grabbed appeared to be in a total mesmerized state.
I've seen many good concerts, but I'm pretty sure I've never seen an artist do that. During most of Dream Girl Evil Florence moved along the front D barrier section - climbing up, culminating in, near the middle of the track, in her leaning over, grabbing another audience member's hand and him supporting her as she sung out the rest of the track.
Holy. Shit. Florence is intense and brave. (and must drive show security totally up the wall with her antics - I've spoken to people involved in this, and having something happen to the artist at a show they're running is one of the nightmare scenarios).
She took us through most of Dance Fever (Girls against God was in there, Bomb was in there, Restraint was in there, My Love was in there. So. very. good)
At some point during the night (my partner informs me this was after the tech break, so before the previously-mentioned Dream Girl Evil audience participation) she sang Dog Days are Over and then did a thing - explaining that this was going to be a bit weird (by virtue of asking who'd been around before, and then explaining to those who weren't F+TM fans that they might be asking themselves if this was a cult and if they were safe, and reassuring that everything was okay) she got everyone to put away their phones, and jump during the final chorus of Dog Days are Over - this is probably the only time during the night I wished I was still young and able to jump up and down for hours like I used to. Sadly, I can't do this in the stands - I don't feel steady enough, but i certainly clapped along as hard as I could.
I thought the Dream Girl Evil stuff was brave and amazing, but then, later, during (my partner informs me) Ship To Wreck not only did Florence run into the D-barrier gap, she ran down the sides and then into the audience (near the tech island in the middle of the floor) and sang to both the crowd in the stands behind the floor and then turned around and sang back at her band. wow, incredible
There was a beautiful eulogy for Steve Mackey (I know of pulp, my brother and sister listened to them) who produced her very first single - Kiss with a Fist. This made many people (my partner especially) very, very happy - it being F+TM’s debut song.
Things wound down, as they do at a concert - and I saw people heading out - I've been to enough of these things to know the signs - the tech guys resetting the instruments rather than breaking things down, no work lights coming on - and I knew there was a chorus. I may have said "C'mon everyone - you know the deal" as I clapped like crazy and said "One More!" (either this isn't a tradition anymore - or maybe it wasn't one at live gigs, but unlike at dance events I went to - it seemed that no one else took up the cry)
I think next up was (the other people who i went with have corrected me) She came back on stage and did an intro for Never Let Me Go - wherein she mentioned she hasn't done it live for a long time because it was so painful, but her fans, and the last few years, have changed how she thinks of it.
As part of the encore (the other tip off for me that an encore was coming) was Shake it Out - bringing me, at least, full circle on F+TM.
Finally for Rabbit Heart she asked audience members to raise up their partners or someone they knew as sacrifices (which, of course, many people obligingly did).
Wow. What a show.
To all the techs and performers last night - thank you, that was incredible, and as good as a post-interregnum live act as I could have asked for.