Florence + The Machine

About

Also known as: F+TM, FATM, Florence & the Machine, Florence and the Machine, フローレンス・アンド・ザ・マシーン

Florence and the Machine built their reputation on a sound that is hard to pin down but impossible to ignore: sweeping, dramatic productions layered over Florence Welch's enormous voice, pulling from indie rock, soul, baroque pop and plenty in between. Formed in London in 2007, the band broke through partly thanks to BBC Music Introducing, which helped them land early festival slots and earn the Critics' Choice Award at the 2009 Brit Awards before their debut album was even widely known. That debut, Lungs, spent an extraordinary sixty five consecutive weeks in the UK top forty and won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2010. The follow up, Ceremonials, shot straight to number one in the UK. Their third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, topped the charts in eight countries including the US Billboard 200, making it their first American number one. That same year, Welch became the first British female headliner of the 21st century at Glastonbury Festival, which tells you everything about where the band sits in the conversation.