FLORENCE + THE MACHINE ENCHANT EDINBURGH SUMMER SESSIONS
LIVE REVIEW | FLORENCE + THE MACHINE | EDINBURGH SUMMER SESSIONS | 24th August 2026 by Emma Carrington
Florence Welch is the most beautiful and charismatic woman I have ever seen perform. Even to say “perform” would be an understatement; Florence + The Machine demand energy, demand attention, and the crowd were whisked into a two hour long ritual. Florence + The Machine are single-handedly the most captivating performance that I have ever had the pleasure of being able to watch.
If you could sum it up in a single word, it would be enigmatic. The penultimate show of the band’s 2026 Everybody Screams Tour took place at Edinburgh Summer Sessions, with Florence Welch’s energy becoming a life changing experience for the whole crowd, full of mysticism and energy all night long.
Under a covering of stars and moonlight, the very moment Welch walked on stage, it was as though the whole of Edinburgh fell still and silent. It is easy to assume that the whole audience was just as starstruck as I was. The album Everybody Screams debuted last October and carries themes of folklore, grief, and hope for life; Florence + The Machine’s performance encapsulated these feelings and forced the audience to feel it all too. The good, the bad, and the ugly; the whole show felt like a ritual more than a performance.
Opening with the album’s title track, ‘Everybody Scream’ there was immediate attention on the stage, not only on Welch, but her background choreography was like that of the three sisters from Macbeth. Beautifully haunting. Almost terrifying or disturbing, but there is a certain beauty in them; but I would not be surprised if they started singing that ‘fair is foul or foul is fair.’
The beauty in horror and occult-esque themes was such an integral part of the show; at one point, Welch instructed people to lift their friends up on one another’s backs to be held as sacrifices for a new season, for good fortune.
Really setting the mood, the show’s lighting was dim yet colorful, with smoky blues filling the foreground and stars dotting the background. Like Welch herself, the stage was enchanting; I have never been more awestruck in my life, as though Welch’s spell had taken control of me, and the audience too.
Welch’s vocals are beyond beautiful; she carries the same witchy vibe into her performance; she carries the energy of not only a rockstar but a goddess, or a king (not a mother, not a bride). Her raw and ghostly presence is so gripping that you can’t look away.
Towards the end of the show, as my feet were sore from jumping and mascara now running down my face, Florence instructed us all to put our phones down and become immersed in the show. Most, if not everyone, obeyed as Welch sang the penultimate track, ‘The Dog Days Are Over’. The vibes were immaculate; I have never felt so heavenly, yet so grounded with music on a day in my life. The way that Florence + The Machine makes their audience feel is indescribable; the closest thing to magic that could exist.
Florence + The Machine should be on everybody’s bucket list to see; I promise you will be enchanted. The band will be headlining this weekend’s Reading and Leeds Festival, performing at Leeds on Friday and Reading on Sunday.
Edinburgh Summer Sessions continues this week with Deftones on Thursday and The Prodigy closing the festival on Friday. Final tickets on sale here.
