Florence + the Machine's ground-trembling triumph at Tempelhof Sounds Festival - the Fan Club account
When you think of a Florence + the Machine festival headline slot, what sort of atmosphere comes to mind? At Tempelhof Sounds Festival, take that image and amplify it by one hundred. Tempelhof marked the first major festival in Germany to open its gates, set on the runway of the eerie abandons of a former major airport serving Berlin. What better location than to watch the music soar through and above the crowd that had been longing for the return of live music for three years? It was clear that Tempelhof stood for the music, putting this front and centre from the moment the first act stepped onto the stage, and the audience it attracted reflected that priority in its energy.
Fans gather early in the morning, adorned in glitter and flower crowns, to secure the prime barrier position. Photo: Yvonne Lehnert
‘Barrier Ghosts’ waiting patiently for the show to begin. Photo: Tessa Camilla (@tessacamilla)
Take, for example, the moment that the audience, waiting with bated breath, caught the first glimpse of Rob Ackroyd, Tom Monger, Dionne Douglas, Sam Doyle, Cyrus Bayandor and Aku Orraca-Tetteh ascending to the stage. Palpable electricity flowed through the sea of "barrier ghosts" - their faces glittering and ornament flower crowns worn in nervous anticipation of Florence Welch to float behind her band onto the stage. The wait for them had been for over 6 hours for most, enduring the intensity of the summer sun through the varied line-up of preceding acts including Two Door Cinema Club and the Libertines. A roar cut through the hot, still Berlin evening at the moment Florence tiptoed across the stage. Dressed in flowing lace, the pounding drums of 'Heaven Is Here' set the tone for the journey on which thousands were about to embark. The crowd chanted the spell-like 'Dance Fever' offering back to the band; the sermon in full swing. Hands flew into the air, pounding the sky to 'I AM KING' as Florence’s face illuminated at the realisation that ‘Dance Fever’ had already touched the souls of fans globally, singing the song word-for-word back to her. Florence + the Machine are indeed King, returning to perform at their best; each person understood how privileged they were to be experiencing this moment with their own eyes, ears and spirits, and they gave everything in return. Stomping, jumping, shouting through tiredness, tears and sweat, offering all their energy towards the stage.
Then came Dog Days to the satisfaction of the horizon-stretching crowd, with its classic ritual of its collective in-the-moment experience. Thousands roared as Florence asked who was experiencing what she termed the "cult" of Florence + the Machine for the first time. Thousands were inducted into the cult, jumping with abandon to the song's climax under the spell of Florence. The sheer power of the performance sent literal shockwaves through the tarmac, even causing a minor earthquake which shook surrounding apartments during the minute of feet thumping the floor in harmony.
Photo: Lea Herpich
The atmosphere remained charged, but with gentle love in the place of frantic euphoria as 'June''s "hold on to each other" tugged at the emotions of many who had struggled through the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans held hands, embracing and swaying as each reflected on the personal bonds that Florence + the Machine have created between people who would not have met without their music - Canadians, Russians, Germans, Britons, Irish, French and more, all swaying shoulder-to-shoulder. Then again, nothing creates bonds quite like the shared experience of Florence clambering onto the barrier to unleash sonic rage through 'Dream Girl Evil'. Where Florence has supported millions through her songs, fans become Florence's physical support for a moment and the symbiosis of artist and audience becomes ever more evident. This symbiosis, as Florence highlighted later in the set, is something she and her band had missed dearly over the last three years. It's that symbiosis that Florence had witnessed in its full glory most evidently here, tonight, in Berlin. "You have been the most incredible audience, thank you" Florence exclaimed, visibly overwhelmed by the uniquely vibrant reception that the band had received from the German crowd from the very first song.
The crowd raises phone torches to simulate stars during ‘Cosmic Love’. Photo: Antony Zacharias (@antonyzacsnaps)
The show continued under "the moon, still bright against the worrying sky"; Florence sang, stretching towards the luminous moon hung perfectly above the sea of her worshippers. The lights of phone torches completed the sky full of song during 'Cosmic Love' as the sky itself began to grow darker. As the show drew to a close, Florence beckoned all to leave all their energy on the tarmac. Her audience obeyed, dancing to exhaustion in the vein of the dancing plague which themes their latest album 'Dance Fever'. The final offerings were made during 'Rabbit Heart' which closed the set, with fans clambering onto shoulders chanting "RAISE IT UP" into the black abyss above their heads. The ground-shaking energy was felt from further afield, attracting an audience of congregating passers-by in Tempelhof Feld to the festival’s perimeter who listened to the crowd’s roaring and Florence’s soaring voice in awe.
And although the band left the stage, the strong connections, friendships and sheer energy that are the life forces of the Florence + the Machine fan base endure in ever-more beautiful ways. Reflectively, no-one moved for minutes after the band had left the stage, all spell-struck by the sermon in which they had just participated. As the charm’s hold lessened and the crowd dispersed in search of food to refuel after their musical voyage, the electricity was still visible on all faces that we passed. Fans gathered to share tales of the personal and collective moments from the show, exchanging photos, hugs and contacts. As we write this article, we realise that it is incredibly difficult to transfer the sheer vibrance that this performance offered into words, and are indebted to Tempelhof Sounds for providing such a special space for Florence + the Machine's literally ground-shaking magic to be shared. That evening will forever be written into history, on this site and beyond, as one of the most exhilarating shows by the band, but also the most beautiful display of human love that the band facilitates, that continues to pervade through the darkest of times.
Fans congregate after the performance, united by Florence + the Machine, having endured over 11 hours of waiting in the intense German sun. Photo: Agnes