Florence + the Machine appeared as the musical guest on Ellen yesterday (Oct. 20) to perform their latest record, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful's hit single "Ship to Wreck," but that's not all they did. The band stood in a giant pool of water during the entirety of the song.
As SPIN points out, the live rendition of the track plays out as it usually does, in fact, the band, fronted by Irish crooner Florence Welch, seems to have it nailed by now. Aside from a few instances of agitated vocalization (due to kicking water while singing), the performance was near studio-quality.
As Welch galavants around in the pool, splashing water around and towards the camera, the singer doesn't miss a beat. She was also shoeless, which was probably a good idea, however, her bandmates didn't seem to think about that. We're also pretty thankful she didn't drop the microphone or this performance could have taken a dark turn. Albeit the inherent dangers, we admit it was a cool idea.
The band also performed "What Kind of Man" in the pool for a web exclusive. The song also appears on the new album, which is out now via Island Records.
During an interview with The Los Angeles Times back in May, shortly before the new album was released, Welch spoke about her view on the new album's simplicity. "I feel like there aren't any tricks on it, she said. "It just is what it is."
"It's like self-acceptance on a grand scale," she added. "If you're going to put these songs into the world, you've got to be OK with them yourself. It made me more comfortable in my own skin."
The band will continue their U.S. tour in support of the record through the end of October before heading to Australia in early November.
