Ongoing History Daily: Florence + The Toilet

October 30, 2024 Alan Cross 0 Comments

It’s very possible that we would have never heard about Florence Welch and Florence + the Machine had she not engaged in a spontaneous singing audition in a public toilet.

Back in about 2008, she went to a club night run by a woman named Mairead Nash, who, at the time, was a very successful DJ and club promoter in London. Florence was rather drunk and followed Mairead into the toilet as they chattered about boy bands. Once inside, Florence said something to the effect of “I can sing! Listen!” And she did—a snippet of a song by blues legend Etta James.

Mairead was so impressed that she ended up deciding to be Florence’s manager—and, well, we all know how things have turned out, right?

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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