Music review: Florence + The Machine, Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh

“THERE is a very, very good energy in here, I feel very much at home,” declared Florence Welch midway through the first gig of a two-night residency in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. She would love to reminisce about concerts past in Scotland, she told us, but “I was pretty much drunk all the time so I don’t remember much”.

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Florence + The Machine, Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh ****

It’s refreshing to see that Welch’s removal of the crutch of pre-gig alcohol has only allowed her unique abilities as a singer and a performer to develop. With a career which now stretches to four albums and more than a decade of experience, it feels like the current tour for her 2018 album High as Hope has finally seen her emerge as a career artist of powerful, enduring ability, rather than a relative newcomer still walking the road to proving herself.

She commanded this large stage with a presence like few others. She invoked heroes, and belongs in their company; like Stevie Nicks, to whom she paid tribute with a floating gown; Candi Staton, whose You Got the Love is now a Welch staple; and Patti Smith, to whom Patricia was dedicated.

“She told me each time I sing this song she’s here in spirit,” said Welch of her latter idol. “She is a magical witch.”

It’s a description Welch deserves herself, casting the rain aside to fuse the cult-like mysticism of Amanda Palmer with the raw pop energy inherent in enduring classics like Dogs Days Are Over and Shake it Off. Her star is ascending again.

DAVID POLLOCK