Florence and The Machine

The daughter of academic and writer Evelyn Welch and the grand-daughter of satirist Colin Welch, Florence had a troubled teenage life, which was salvaged when she escaped into music. She sang with Toxic Cockroaches and Ashok and when she started playing with a friend, they re-christened themselves Florence Robot and Isabella Machine. This transmuted into Florence Robot is a Machine and, as she developed her charismatic style, this was shortened to Florence and the Machine, featuring Isabella Summers (Isabella Machine), Robert Ackroyd (guitar), Christopher Lloyd Hayden (drums) and Tom Monger (harp). Their debut album Lungs, launched in the summer of 2009, was an instant success and first single Kiss with a Fist featured in the movie Jennifer's Body. Florence's theatrical stage performances and slightly eccentric vocal style made her a big live attraction and the band cemented their popularity with acclaimed appearances at many of the leading UK rock festivals. In 2010 the album, Lungs, won Best British Album at the BRIT Awards.