Florence + the Machine: An Almighty Sound

The story of Florence + The Machine makes an exhilarating contrast to the fortunes of those pre-packaged, stage-schooled pop stars who just wanted to be famous.

A bookish south London child who had sung at family funerals, Florence Welch exploded onto the international scene after her wild art school party days and a series of life-changing meetings with people like co-writer Isabella Summers, manager Mairead Nash and producer Paul Epworth.

The first two albums, Lungs and Ceremonials, went multi-platinum and Florence + The Machine's emotional, quasi-mystical brand of pop brought them international fame. Meanwhile Florence's idiosyncratic fashion sense had grabbed the attention of Gucci and Karl Lagerfeld, so guaranteeing the band an eye-catching icon to match the music.

Zoe Howe is a music writer whose books include"Typical Girls? The Story of The Slits," "How s Your Dad? Living In The Shadow Of A Rock Star Parent"(both Omnibus Press) and"Looking Back At Me"- the autobiography of ex Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson.""Zoe is the editor of the website Iceland Music Export, and her work has also appeared on BBC Music, BBC 6Music, Planet Rock, Absolute Radio, E4, The Quietus, Channel4Music, NME and in"Company"and"Contemporary Magazine."She has also made and presented music radio series for stations including Resonance FM. When she isn't writing feverishly or talking incessantly about music, Zoe plays drums and percussion and has worked with Viv Albertine, Anne Pigalle, Steve Beresford, Mick Jones and others. "