Florence and the Machine (styled as Florence + The Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead singer Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, and a collaboration of other artists, their sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul.
The band's music received praise across the media, especially from the BBC, which played a large part in their rise to prominence by promoting Florence and the Machine as part of BBC Introducing. At the 2009 Brit Awards they received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" award. The band's music is renowned for its dramatic and eccentric production and also Welch's powerful vocal performances.
The band's debut studio album, Lungs, was released on 6 July 2009, and held the number-two position for its first five weeks on the UK Albums Chart. On 17 January 2010, the album reached the top position, after being on the chart for twenty-eight consecutive weeks.
The name of Florence and the Machine is attributed to Florence Welch's teenage collaboration with Isabella "Machine" Summers. Welch and Summers performed together for a time under the name Florence Robot/Isa Machine. According to Welch, "The name Florence and the Machine started off as a private joke that got out of hand. I made music with my friend, who we called Isabella Machine to which I was Florence Robot. When I was about an hour away from my first gig, I still didn't have a name, so I thought 'Okay, I'll be Florence Robot/Isa Machine', before realising that name was so long it'd drive me mad.
Florence Welch has been compared to other female singers such as Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos and Björk. During an interview, Welch cited Grace Slick as her influence and "hero".
Florence and the Machine's style has been described as "dark, robust and romantic".Their music is a mix of "classic soul and midnight-on-the-moors English art rock". Welch stated that her lyrics related to Renaissance artists: "We're dealing with all of the same things they did—love and death, time and pain, heaven and hell." American singer Bridgit Mendler cited the band as one of her biggest influences.
