From the moment Florence Welch steps onto the stage at Mad Cool, it becomes clear that this headline set is going to be one to remember. Backed by a steady, almost unsettling drum beat, the singer slowly emerges from the darkness, eyes closed, hands clasped tight to her heart, putting one foot in front of the other with each thud. By this point in the night, we’ve reached the early hours of Friday morning, but the blanket of darkness surrounding the band is almost fitting for the intimate, tender “ritual” about to come.
It’s never been a secret that Florence + The Machine can provoke a raw, visceral reaction with their music. Everything from Welch’s effortlessly powerful, sometimes gut-wrenching, vocals through to the band’s spellbinding melodies is tailored to hit the deep crevices of the soul – and with the stripped back set-up of the stage tonight, all of that was poignantly transferred to the live setting without any need for gimmicks.
“If you are here to scream, you’ve come to the right show,” the singer playfully reassures us, having just opened the set with the title track from latest album ‘Everybody Scream’ and following it up with the equally apt ‘Shake It Out’. From the first few moments of the show, it is blatantly clear that the band want to keep raw human emotion at the core. There are no visual backdrops throughout the full two hours, lighting is kept to a minimum, and choreography from the backing dancers is treated as a way to embody the emotion in Welch’s lyrics, rather than becoming a big visual spectacle.
Florence And The Machine at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Javier Bragado
As expected, earlier hits like ‘What Kind Of Man’ and their cover of Candi Staton’s ‘You Got The Love’ still stand as firm fan-favourites on the night, yet there is something unmistakably compelling about the newer material on the setlist. ‘Sympathy Magic’, ‘One Of The Greats’ and ‘Buckle’ all see Florence deliver her most soul-bearing performances of the night, and on more than one occasion have her taking a moment to stop and look out into the crowd in awe, barely able to hold back her smile as she takes it all in.
“Didn’t you come here to experience this?” she asks before ending the show with ‘Dog Days Are Over’ and ‘Free’ – insisting that everyone keep their phone away so they can feel the connection to her and to her lyrics. Although it may take a few minutes of persuading to get everyone to comply, the end result makes for the most intense moment of the set, with thousands of fans unanimously jumping as the singer wildly sprints from one side of the stage to the other, repeating the earth-shattering chorus.
Given the strong themes of spirituality, mysticism and witchcraft on the new album, which dropped last Halloween, Florence + The Machine could have easily leaned into the elaborate theatrics for their latest live shows. However, by stripping things all the way back to basics, the true emotion and power of their music can shine through. Tonight at Mad Cool wasn’t about simply pleasing the eye; it was about bringing their songs to life in the most poignant way they could, exorcising past traumas, creating a sense of unity, and embracing a joyous new chapter.
Florence + The Machine played:
‘Everybody Scream’
‘Shake It Out’
‘Which Witch’
‘Spectrum’
‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’
‘You Got the Love’
‘Hunger’
‘King’
‘Howl’
‘What Kind of Man’
‘Heaven Is Here’
‘One of the Greats’
‘Buckle’
‘Never Let Me Go’
‘Sympathy Magic’
‘Dog Days Are Over’
‘Free’
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