Following the staggering success of ‘Lungs’ (three million copies sold, Brit awards bagged, the US swooning), Florence Welch had two avenues to explore:
appease the masses and smooth out her eclectic edges, or sharpen them to more avant garde extremes. With ‘Ceremonials’ she’s skilfully managed to achieve both. This second offering is a strong return from Flo and co., the art school dropout that used to hang around squat parties and grotty pubs has grown into a foreboding theatrical pop force, boasting drama-drenched sing-alongs. Paul Epworth’s production is impeccable throughout; showing again what a canny, culturally-aware mind can do with Welch’s big-hearted melodies and eccentric spirit – this time channelling Bowie, Frida Kahlo, Virginia Woolf, Fleetwood Mac and Spiritualized. ‘Only If For A Night’ is a sublime starting point, as harps and pounding, reverb-laden pianos crash against crisp beats, layered vocals and cascading church bells. It’s unmistakeably Florence & The Machine, but a majorly souped-up, unafraid to sock it to ‘em version, and in the first few minutes she shows just what she’s now capable of. There’s the gospel-inspired ‘Never Let Me Go’ which is so power ballad you can practically smell the leather and smoke machines, while the tumultuous ‘Lover To Lover’, finds Welch in catchy soul-pop mode, bellowing, “I’ve been keeping secrets from my heart and from my soul,” over handclaps and a smooth ‘I Heard It Through The Gravepine’ groove. Meanwhile, ‘Heartlines’ flirts with tribal chanting, before ‘Spectrum’ bravely comes out as a pumped-up club anthem, almost like her very own ‘You’ve Got The Love’. It’s not all swish instrumentation and genre-hopping, however, as proved by ‘All This And Heaven Too’ and the stirring ‘Leave My Body’; two of the most genuinely moving melodies Welch has ever put her name to. The ambition and scope of ‘Ceremonials’ marks a huge achievement for an artist just two records into her career. Sitting precariously on the tipping point into superstardom with all eyes on her, Florence Welch could have taken the easy route and fallen into soulless, stadium-friendly radio fodder. Instead she’s become a bolder, braver and more unabashed version of her oddball self. This courage will be the making of her.

Camilla Pia