Live Review: Florence & the Machine @ Oxegen 2010

When & Where: Main Stage on Saturday July 10th @ 18:05.

One the most (over) hyped acts of the weekend took the Main Stage at dinner time on Saturday with a huge crowd in attendance. Thousands braved the heaviest rain of the entire weekend to witness Ms. Welch and her crew churn out their pop hits.

It is a little sad that such a tremendously huge crowd appeared to watch Florence given the other acts on show over the weekend (she easily attracted more than Arcade Fire, as well as a number of supremely talented smaller acts) and her performance certainly did not warrant the numbers.

Sounding a little flat in parts, a number of the songs simply didn't achieve the heights that they do on the album, Lungs. As the set wore on, huge portions of the crowd became agitated too. It was clear that they were here for the hits - aside from You've Got The Love and Dog Days there was next to no singalong from those outside the pit, clapping and dancing was just too much for most. I found myself very frustrated with those around me, many drowning out the sound with vuvuzelas and scores actually booing when Florence told the crowd that "this next one is a new song. We've never played it in Ireland before." Fans? Really?

The weather most certainly did not help. Thundering rain and howling wind made the sound barely audible in parts, while it was quite difficult to actually keep focused on the performance. Though it must also be noted that while the elements were doing their best to distract the crowd, the performer herself was doing very little to win them back. Scheduled for a full hour, Florence quickly exited the stage just 48 minutes after starting having rushed through her set and looking a little overawed throughout.