How do you give back to those essential personnel who are working tirelessly to help those affected by COVID-19?
If you’re like most of the musicians out there, you release some new tunes and donate all proceeds from it to COVID-19 funds.
Florence and the Machine are following suit by doing just that.
On Friday (April 17), the United Kingdom act released a new track titled “Light of Love.” As per frontwoman Florence Welch, the four-minute song is a previously unreleased song from 2018’s High as Hope.
“Light of Love’ is an unreleased song from High as Hope, it never made it to the record, but I thought I would release it at midnight tonight, as a little token of my love,” Welch posted on Instagram.
She continues by revealing that she will be donating all proceeds from “Light of Love” to the Intensive Care Society, which provides care for those on the front line, including doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals.
“I will be donating all of my income from this song to the Intensive Care Society.”
“Light of Love” marks Florence and the Machine’s first new song since the release of High As Hope, though she did record a special version of “Jenny of Oldstone” for the final season Game of Thrones in 2019.
As the second episode of Game of Thrones came to an end, fans were quickly trying to figure out which of their favorite characters will die following the “calm before the storm” episode. As the credits rolled, a female voice can be heard singing the tune Podrick (Ser Brienne of Tarth’s squire) belted while the fireside group of former foes sat by and drank wine. Who’s haunting voice was singing “Jenny of Oldstones,” you may ask? Well, none other than Florence Welch.
According to a press release from HBO, the television series’ creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss reached out to Welch to see if she would be interested in covering the song for the series. As evident by its placement, the singer agreed. As noted by Weiss and Benioff, this isn’t the first time Welch has been linked to the show. Her song “Seven Devils” was used in the trailer for the show’s second season.
“We’ve always been huge fans of Florence’s music, and the season 2 trailer with her song ‘Seven Devils’ was possibly the most powerful we’ve ever had,” Benioff and Weiss explained in a statement.
“So the opportunity to hear her otherworldly voice on our show was always at the forefront of our minds. We’re still pleasantly shocked that she agreed to sing ‘Jenny of Oldstones,’ and we’re in love with the result.”
Welch added: “When I first heard the song it sounded like a Celtic lullaby to me. Celtic music has always been in my blood, so I felt like I could do something with it. The magic and ritual in Game of Thrones, not to mention the costumes, have always appealed to me. I am honoured to be a part of the final season.”
“Jenny of Oldstones” was written by Weiss, Benioff, Ramin Djawadi, and Game of Thrones mastermind George R.R. Martin. The song was produced by Thomas Bartlett.
Watch the lyric video for “Jenny of Oldstone” above.
Florence and the Machine have been a little quiet lately, but that’s about to change. Next month Welch and company will kick off their High As Hope North American tour. The outing begins on May 10 at the FORM Arcosanti in Mayer, Ariz. and concludes on June 9 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The full list of tour stops can be found here.
Florence and the Machine are about to bring “Hope” to their North American fan base. On Monday (Feb. 4), the Welsh band announced plans to embark on a month-long excursion across North America. Dubbed the High As Hope tour, the trek will find the band performing at venues across the continent throughout the months of May and June.
The 17-stop jaunt will include performances in major cities such as Las Vegas, Denver, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York, Orlando, and more. The forthcoming outing begins on May 10 at the FORM Arcosanti in Mayer, Ariz. and concludes on June 9 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. Tickets for the High As Hope tour go on sale this Friday, Feb. 8, at 11 a.m. local time.
Christine and the Queens, Blood Orange, Perfume Genius, and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats are set to perform on select dates.
The High As Hope North American tour is in support of Florence and the Machine’s recently released record, High As Hope. The record, the act’s fourth studio effort, was released in June of 2018, peaking at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 chart. The album also topped both Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts.
Receiving positive reviews, High As Hope is Florence and the Machine’s third US top 10 album, selling 4,000 album-equivalent units including 74,000 from pure album sales.
Last month, the group unleashed two new songs much to the surprise and elation of their dedicated fans. The tracks, “Moderation” and “Haunted House,” are Florence and Machine’s first new set of songs since High As Hope‘s release last summer.
HIGH AS HOPE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
May 10 – Mayer, AZ – FORM Arcosanti
May 12 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl§
May 13 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl§
May 15 – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion*
May 17 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena*
May 20 – Denver, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre*
May 23 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion†
May 24 – Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre†
May 26 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage†
May 28 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell†
May 30 – Boston, MA – Xfinity Center†
June 1 – New York, NY – Governors Ball Music Festival
June 3 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion†
June 5 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park‡
June 6 – Atlanta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre‡
June 8 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center‡
June 9 – Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena‡
* with Christine and the Queens
† with Blood Orange
‡ with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
§ with Perfume Genius
Florence and the Machine surprised fans last week when they unveiled a brand new song during their show at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Though the fan-shot video was blurry and the sound was not the best, it still gave the band’s devoted followers a sense of what to expect from the new tune.
On Thursday (Jan. 24), the Welsh band treated their dedicated supporters to the official studio version of “Moderation.” As if the studio version of the recently unveiled track wasn’t enough to get those fans dancing like frontwoman Florence Welch, then another new song may do the trick.
In addition to “Moderation,” the group also delivered another song titled “Haunted House.” “Moderation” was produced by James Ford while “Haunted House” was produced by Matthew Daniel Siskin (Gambles).
“Moderation” and “Haunted House” are the first set of new songs from Florence and the Machine since the release of their fourth studio album, High As Hope. The record was released in June of 2018 through Republic Records. The album received mostly positive reviews and peaked at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 chart.
The band is currently in the middle of their Australia / New Zealand-centric tour which will wrap up at the end of the month.
In early January, they were confirmed as one of the headliners for this year’s Governors Ball. The act will headline Saturday’s (June 1) set alongside Major Lazer and the 1975. Governors Ball 2019 will return to its longtime home of Randall’s Islands Park during the weekend of May 31 – June 2. Tickets for the festival are available on its website.
Are Florence and the Machine working on some new music? Fans may not know for sure, but it does look like the group may have a new song floating around. Over the weekend, the Welsh band took the stage at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia where they debuted a brand new song live in front of an unsuspecting audience.
According to a report from NME, halfway through the set, the band launched into a song they had never played before. Some fans, being the best detectives out there, managed to find out via a setlist that the new song’s title is “Moderation.” Considering that frontwoman Florence Welch sings the word moderation several times throughout the three-minute jam, it makes a lot of sense.
Check out the blurry, fan shot video above.
“Moderation” is the first new song from Florence and the Machine since the release of their fourth studio album, High As Hope. The record was released in June of 2018 through Republic Records. The album received mostly positive reviews and peaked at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 chart.
Currently, the band is in the middle of their Australian / New Zealand tour which will wrap up at the end of January.
Last week, they were confirmed as one of the headliners for this year’s Governors Ball. The act will headline Saturday, June 1, alongside Major Lazer and the 1975. Governors Ball 2019 will return to its longtime home of Randall’s Islands Park during the weekend of May 31 – June 2. Tickets for the festival are currently available on its website.
Florence and the Machine, The Strokes, and the 1975 are just some of the artists who will make their way to New York during the last weekend in May for the 2019 edition of the Governors Ball. On Monday (Jan. 7), Founder Entertainment announced the full roster for the ninth annual summertime event.
In addition to the aforementioned acts, the lineup boosts performances by be Tyler, the Creator, SZA, Nas, Blood Orange, Kacey Musgraves, Lily Allen, Major Lazer, Brockhampton, Lil Wayne, Vince Staples, Bazzi, Charli XCX, Dreamers, and more. In total, over 60 artists will take over one of four stages during the weekend-long music festival.
In addition to the diverse roster of acts, Governors Ball will also include a robust number of gourmet food options from different establishments from around New York City, craft beer and cocktails as well as surprise pop up performances, lawn games, street art and a 21+ Best Kept Secret area.
Three-day general admission and VIP tickets are currently available on the music festival’s website with a special “Announce Day” pricing until 11:59:59 p.m. EST. After that, regular pricing will begin. For those feeling a little strapped for cash following the holiday season, there’s no need to worry because Governors Ball is offering payment plan options.
For those who purchase passes today, a special 2019 collectible charger can be added to your order, because one can never have too many chargers especially at a music festival.
Governors Ball 2019 will return to its longtime home of Randall’s Islands Park during the weekend of May 31 – June 2. The full lineup for this year’s event can be found below.
Last week, Florence and the Machine confirmed the release date, title, and first official single off their impending fourth studio album. During the weekend, the group followed up the annuncement with a performance at the Victoria Theatre in Halifax, England where they treated concertgoers to two new songs from High As Hope. Thanks to some fan-shot video, fans not in attendance were able to hear the new songs as well.
The first song is titled “Patricia” and according to frontwoman Florence Welch is “a tribute to one of my favorite artists.” The second new song from High As Hope is titled “100 Years” and as Welch put it “you can tell I wrote it because it’s literally three notes going down.”
In addition to a lengthy setlist which featured songs from their discography, the group also performed “Falling” from their 2009 debut, Lungs. Reportedly, it’s also the first time in nine years that they’ve performed the song. You can tell it’s been a while since they last performed the tune, because even Welch couldn’t remember the lyrics at the beginning of the video (“it’s been a long time!”).
Both “Patricia” and “100 Years” will join previously released tracks “Hunger” and “A Sky Full of Song” on the new albm. High As Hope will be released on June 29 through Republic Records. Pre-orders for the forthcoming record are currently available here.
High As Hope will reportedly feature contributions from Jamie xx, Sampha, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Kamasi Washington.
High As Hope is the follow-up to the group’s 2015 release, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.
It’s been a few weeks since Florence and the Machine unleashed their much-anticipated new song, “Sky Full of Song.” Now, it looks like fans should get ready for another new tune before the week is over. On Monday (April 30), frontwoman Florence Welch uploaded a photo on Instagram with the band’s initials, the word “hunger,” and the date May 3. In the accompanying caption, she simply posted: “VIDEO @a.g.rojas, PHOTOGRAPHY @vincenthaycock, More .@florenceandthemachine.”
If you click on the band’s Instagram handle, it will take you to their official Instagram page where a total of three images appear. The caption on all three images are the same: “HUNGER, Single out May 3, Video directed by AG Rojas, Photos by Vincent Haycock.” Check out the band’s profile here.
“Hunger” will be the second new song from the band since the release of 2015’s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. While the group released “Sky Full of Song” as a Record Store Day contribution, it will most likely end up on their widely speculated new album.
Earlier this month, NME claimed that the group’s fourth studio album will be titled High As Hope and see a release date of June 29. If the band is aiming to release new music in June, that will be perfect timing on their part since they have been confirmed for several music festivals this summer including Poland’s Orange Warsaw Festival, Germany’s Melt! Festival, and Spain’s Bilbao BBK Festival.
The new music speculation began in February when Virgin Records CEO Ted Cockle revealed in an interview that a handful of artists on the label will be releasing new albums before the end of 2018.
“We are looking forward to great new music from Florence + the Machine, Blossoms, CHVRCHES, James Bay, and Shawn Mendes.”
Currently, CHVRCHES, James Bay, and Shawn Mendes have all confirmed the release of new music, so Florence and the Machine should not be too far behind.
It’s official. Florence and the Machine have returned with their long-awaited new song. On Thursday (April 12), the United Kingdom-founded band unleashed their rumored new song, “Sky Full of Song.” The four-minute video’s has a simple concept; frontwoman Florence Welch going about a room as she sings the song.
“This was a song that just fell out of the sky fully formed,” begins Welch in a statement about the new song.
“Sometimes when you are performing you get so high, it’s hard to know how to come down. There is this feeling of being cracked open, rushing endlessly outwards and upwards, and wanting somebody to hold you still, bring you back to yourself. It’s an incredible, celestial, but somehow lonely feeling.”
Watch the black-and-white, AG Roja-directed clip above.
“Sky Full of Song” will be featured as one of the many new tunes coming our way for Record Store Day (April 21). The tune will be available as a limited edition 7-inch vinyl. The B-side of the record will feature a recording of “New York poem (for Polly)” which can be found in Welch’s upcoming book, Useless Magic.
According to NME, the book will reportedly “give insight on Welch’s creative process by featuring some of the subjects and areas which have inspired her writing.” The book is set to be released on July 5.
In support of the new music, and speculated new album, Florence and the Machine have been confirmed for several music festivals this summer including Poland’s Orange Warsaw Festival, Germany’s Melt! Festival, and Spain’s Bilbao BBK Festival.
Back in February, Virgin Records CEO Ted Cockle confirmed in an interview that Florence Welch and company will release new music before the end of 2018.
“We are looking forward to great new music from Florence + the Machine, Blossoms, CHVRCHES, James Bay and Shawn Mendes,” Cockle said in his interview with Virgin boss, Richard Branson.
Elton John may be saying farewell to his own yellow brick road with a massive final world tour, but don’t think that’s the only thing the iconic performer is giving fans before his final curtain call. On Thursday (March 15), it was announced that John will be releasing a huge 26-track double disc featuring covers of some of his iconic tunes. The records, which have been titled Revamp and Restoration, will feature artists from the pop, rock, and country genres of music putting their own spin on some of John and longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin’s biggest hits.
Revamp will feature a collection of predominately pop and rock artists covering some of John’s hits such “Tiny Dancer” (Florence + the Machine), “Candle in the Wind” (Ed Sheeran), “Your Song” (Lady Gaga), “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” (The Killers), and many more.
In a press statement, John reveals that he created a list of artists that he wanted to commission to work on the Revamp side of the double disc.
“On Revamp, I wrote out a wish list of people that I would love and asked them and to my surprise, most of them said yes, and we have quite an astonishing eclectic crew.”
As for Restoration, the second album, John explains that it was all about Taupin and what he wanted.
“God, we have so many great artists doing our songs, it’s quite incredible. Restoration was Bernie [Taupin]’s project and he’s a huge country fan. He came up with an astonishing list of country performers, both new and legendary.”
Unlike Revamp, Restoration will feature all country music artists. The record will bring together some of the newer faces of country alongside some classic country musicians. Current stars like Little Big Town, Marren Morris, Miranda Lambert, and Kacey Musgraves will join the likes of Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Rosanne Cash on the record.
For many of the artists featured on the records, this will not be their first time working with John and Taupin. Back in January, musicians including Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus, Alessia Cara, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and Lady Gaga took part in CBS’ special Elton John: I’m Still Standing – A Grammy Salute. The show was put together by the Recording Academy to honor both John and Taupin for their contribution to the music world.
Revamp and Restoration currently has a tentative release date of April 6.
The covers album comes a few months after John announced his final massive outing for his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. The multi-year, 300-show excursion will kick off this fall after he wraps up his Las Vegas residency.
For now, the complete tracklisting for both Revamp and Restoration can be seen below.
Revamp Tracklisting:
1. “Bennie and the Jets” – Elton John, P!nk, Logic
2. “We All Fall in Love Sometimes” – Coldplay
3. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” – Alessia Cara
4. “Candle in the Wind” – Ed Sheeran
5. “Tiny Dancer” – Florence + The Machine
6. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” – Mumford & Sons
7. “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” – Mary J. Blige
8. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” – Q Tip feat. Demi Lovato
9. “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” – The Killers
10. “Daniel” – Sam Smith
11. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” – Miley Cyrus
12. “Your Song” – Lady Gaga
13. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Queens of the Stone Age
Restoration Tracklisting:
1. “Rocket Man” – Little Big Town
2. “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” – Maren Morris
3. “Sacrifice” – Don Henley and Vince Gill
4. “Take Me to the Pilot” – Brothers Osborne
5. “My Father’s Gun” – Miranda Lambert
6. “I Want Love” – Chris Stapleton
7. “Honky Cat” – Lee Ann Womack
8. “Roy Rogers” – Kacey Musgraves
9. “Please” – Rhonda Vincent and Dolly Parton
10. “The Bitch is Back” – Miley Cyrus
11. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” – Dierks Bentley
12. “This Train Don’t Stop” – Rosanne Cash and Emmylou Harris
13. “Border Song” – Willie Nelson
Talk Music To Me 