Welcome to this weeks Flow Feature! Another big week with Florence re-awaking in the world of Twitter, and the band announcing yet another show! Good luck to everyone trying to get tickets for the shows this year! This weeks Flow Feature is on Chris from Argentina!

Chris and his family moved to Argentina when he was only five years old. His parents made the decision to pack up and leave their ‘boring’ lives on a whim and decided that the beautiful land of Argentina was where they would find their happiness.  For Chris life was perfect, the move was the best thing that they had ever done. He loved everything about the country, and all he wanted to do was explore with his younger brother James. For the first few years they lived there, his parents felt the same way. 

Then, as Chris got older and entered his teens, his parents’ marriage began falling apart. To this day Chris still can’t understand what happened between them. They went from such happiness, the kind that led to them moving around the world to a beautiful new land on a crazy thought, to utter hatred. The fighting was harsh and endless. Eventually Chris learnt to leave the house and take his brother to the tree house to escape. They would spend hours in the tree house, playing games, reading and listening to music. But they could still never escape the screaming. Even up in the tree they could hear what was going on in the house below. The months passed and Chris became more and more depressed and the fighting continued. Even through the hatred his parents still remained together, whether out of stubbornness or stupidity he’ll never know.

Chris’ saving grace came on a Tuesday morning when a parcel arrived from his closest friend, a pen pal in London. He opened the box and found a USB, loaded with what the note called ‘the best album you will ever hear’. His friend in London had sent him the debut album of a new band called Florence + The Machine. After the first listen he knew nothing would ever be the same again. He finally knew how his parents had felt reading through the magazines looking at pictures of Argentina. He had found this incredible world, somewhere that Florence and the band could take him to get away from all of his hassles, all of his fears. Somewhere that was his own, where he felt safe and free, where he could be himself. Now, as he sat up in the tree house, he had something beautiful to drown out the hatred below. As the yelling became worse, Chris just made Lungs louder. ‘Dog Days Are Over’ will always be his favourite song. The drumbeats and the layers of vocals drowned out everything around him while he dreamed of freedom.

Relief finally came a few months later when Chris’ parents stopped prolonging the inevitable and decided to separate. Chris will always be grateful to Florence + The Machine, he knows that without their music he would have had nothing to hold onto. One day Chris wants to see the band play live for the first time, and meet the people that stopped him from going insane and pulled him back from many edges.

We hope that one day you get to fulfil your dream Chris! Thank you for sharing your wonderful story with us!

We hope you all enjoyed this weeks Flow Feature! It has been over six months now that Inspiring Flows has existed. Since we began publishing Flow Features not a week has gone by that we haven’t had a beautiful Flow from around the world bravely share their story with us. Thank you to every Flow who has shared their inspiring stories, and also of course to every Flow (and possibly non-Flow) who takes the time to read them. Until next time…

Inspiring Flows Xxx



 

Welcome to this weeks Flow Feature! We hope you’ve all had a wonderful week. Thank you all for joining us yet again to read about Sarah Wilson from the USA.

For Sarah, Florence + The Machine will always be the centre of her world. She first discovered the band through her best friend Stephanie. Sarah and Stephanie met in their first years of school. They were polar
opposites in their appearance, Sarah was always slightly tanned with long flowing blonde hair, and Stephanie was pale as the moon with short bright red hair. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing different about them. They loved the same music, food, art, films, TV series, has the same idols, the list
goes on. Sarah was always slightly self-conscious, afraid to show her real self, but not when she was with Stephanie. Stephanie brought out the best in Sarah, and vice versa. Not once did they fight in the years after they met. It was the kind of friendship that we all read about in books and see in movies, the kind many go their whole lives wishing they could experience. 

On a night in 2010, at around 2.30 in the morning, Stephanie burst into her bedroom (how she got into the house is still unknown) ranting and raving about this incredible new band she had just discovered, Florence + The Machine. If it had been anyone else Sarah would have screamed and started hurling large objects in their direction, but knowing Stephanie, it had to be something good. They stayed up all night listening to this incredible album, watching every music video on YouTube, tracking down every song out there. Neither of them had ever heard anything like this band before, and they knew they were already addicted.

For the next year they spent every waking moment thinking about this band, singing their songs, and channelling Florence as their fashion muse. It was the best year of Sarah’s life. They had already been best friends since they were children, but this brought them both even closer together. The emotional connection that we all feel when we listen to Florence + The Machine, the raw power that the music and lyrics hold, it was all shared with her best friend as well.

The Ceremonials Era began, and finally Sarah and Stephanie had the opportunity to see the band live. They were only a few rows from the front, only a few feet away from their idol. It was the most powerful experience of her life up until that point. She felt strange for the whole night. Her emotions as high as they had ever been, swept up in the moment. Time felt as if it was going in slow motion and double speed at the same time. Though neither of them had any talent they both screamed ever word along with Florence. Stephanie tried (badly) to air guitar along with Rob, while Sarah tried with Toms harp. It was an awe-inspiring concert, Florence and the band played perfectly. It was the best experience that they had ever shared. For weeks after it was all they could talk about. They drove everyone else crazy, their parents, their friends, complete strangers. Already they began planning how to earn the money to see as many more concerts of the tour as they could.

But those plans never came about. A month after the concert Sarah received a phone call, and heard the words she never wanted to hear…

Stephanie, her best friend, the one person that Sarah had always been able to rely on, the one person that she loved with all her heart, had been killed in a car accident on her way home from the movies. 

Sarah was crushed, she had no idea what to do next, where to go. She spent the days until the funeral locked in her room in shock. She didn’t even realise it was the day until she saw her parents leave without her, she had never even heard them knocking on her door. Sarah finally built up the courage and made her way to the church. For the second time Sarah experienced time as if it was in slow motion and double speed at the same time. It wasn’t part of the plan but halfway through the funeral Sarah interrupted and went up to the podium. She had no words to say, couldn’t think of any words that could convey her love for Stephanie, and capture her memory. So Sarah didn’t speak words. She stood in front of their family and friends and sang the only song she could think of. ‘You’ve Got The Love’ by Florence + The Machine. 

That was the last time that Sarah heard one of the bands songs for months. Sarah couldn’t bear to hear the music that she had shared with Stephanie, the albums that had brought them so close together. Sarah thought that by not listening to the band it would make it easier, make it hurt less. 

A few months after the funeral Stephanie’s mum called and asked Sarah to come and see what she wanted to keep out of Stephanie’s bedroom. Sarah stopped by the next day, and for the first time saw Stephanie’s room without Stephanie in it, dancing to ‘Dog Days Are Over’ or singing her heart out to ‘Rabbit Heart’. Sarah spent hours in the room, going through her best friends belongings, through the memories they had shared. She found Stephanie’s vinyl collection, both Lungs and Ceremonials. Though she knew it was going to be hard to hear the songs again, the room would never feel right without playing one of them.

Sarah sat on the floor of the room listening to ‘Lungs’. At first it was hard, the songs brought back every memory of the past 2 years, the loss was too much for her to comprehend. But after a few runs through the album, Sarah started feeling something else, something she wasn’t expecting. The music, along with Florence’s beautiful voice started to comfort her. It felt as if she was coming home. The lyrics were like arms wrapped around her, holding her close, telling her that everything would be okay, that she would find a way through this.

After that day Sarah started listening to Florence + The Machine again. Though it still hurt every time she was reminded of Stephanie, the next note was the bands way of looking after her. It was as if there was someone holding her hand the whole way through. Sarah doesn’t know if the hand belongs to Stephanie, who is staying with her, or to Florence, who is looking after her, but she knows she will make it through, somehow. All she has to do is keep listening and they will come to her.


We would like to send a massive thank you to Sarah Wilson for
sharing your story with us. We hope that whoever is there holding your hand will
never let it go, and don’t forget that the Flows will always be there too
  whenever you need us.


We hope this weeks Flow Feature will stay with you all. If you
have a story you want to share please email us today! Until next
time…


Inspiring Flows Xxx


 

Welcome to this weeks Flow Feature! We hope you’ve all had a wonderful week, today’s story is on Elizabeth from the UK!!

Elizabeth had always been interested in art, history and music but had never had the courage to try and create her own, not until she discovered ‘Lungs’. Elizabeth first discovered Florence + The Machine in early 2010. A seemingly simple music recommendation from a friend soon turned into an obsession. Day and night, for weeks on end, Elizabeth was attached to her iPod with ‘Lungs’ on repeat. The album became a part of her life that she knew she could never part with. The music spoke to her in a language that she had never heard before, with words so sweet and full of meaning that her heart ached with every listen.

A few months later Elizabeth was in the art rooms at lunch watching her friends channel their inspiration into great works of art. Though she has always loved it, Elizabeth had always been too scared to try it out
herself. That day the art teacher noticed Elizabeth looking longingly at the artwork around her, and took it upon himself to give her the final nudge to try it out. The art teacher set her up with a blank canvas and every colour of paint you could think of. He turned to her and asked her “what inspires you?” In that moment there was only one thing that Elizabeth could think of. 

For the next few weeks Elizabeth spent every afternoon in the art rooms working on what ended up being a ‘Lungs’ based series of artwork, one for each track and a large version of the album cover. The art teacher was so impressed with her work that he arranged for Elizabeth to join an art course where she has had the chance to work on a ‘Ceremonials’ and ‘Florrible and Misrabella’ series.

Outside the success of her art, Elizabeth has also been using the inspiration given by Florence + The Machine to write her own music. At the moment she is in the lengthy process of translating the songs she has created in her head into written music, something she had never learnt previously. Once she has finished she will have a full album!! Elizabeth is currently in her last year of school and with the help of her favourite art teacher is applying for every university scholarship to study a mixture of art, history and music.  

Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your story with us! We wish you all the best with your music, artwork and future studies!!

We hope you enjoyed this weeks Flow Feature. We would love to
hear your story next…


Inspiring Flows Xxx

Welcome to this weeks Flow Feature! It’s been a big week with Florence winning even more awards for herself and the hard working band, and finally some new festival dates announced! We’re glad that through all the excitement you’ve found yourself reading our weekly Flow Feature, this time on V. Holmes!

V. Holmes first discovered Florence + The Machine in the most unlikely way… In early 2010 she was walking down the street on her way to the local music store. Too busy wrapped up in a conversation with her friend about their favourite British bands (Coldplay or The Beatles???) V. was not watching where she was going. Before she knew what had happened she was a heaped, bloody mess on the doorstep of the music store. V immediately turned around to abuse whatever inanimate object that had caused her such embarrassment, and instead stopped in awe at an image of the most beautiful red haired woman she had ever seen. Through some kind of fate or destiny V had managed to trip over a display for the recently released debut album of Florence + The Machine, ‘Lungs’. 

A few weeks later, V went back and bought a copy of the album. The kooky store owner, recognising V from her accident, turned and told her to “watch out, you never know when life will throw something in your path, and you never know how it will change you…” It doesn’t happen often, but boy was the kooky music store lady right that day.

Since discovering 'Lungs' in 2010, V has found the inspiration and confidence to express herself artistically. Though every song provides its own unique inspiration, the worlds created by ‘Blinding’, ‘Girl With One Eye’ and ‘Howl’ have always stood out for V. Much of her artwork has been inspired by these three songs. Recently V received an award for ‘Most Accomplished Young Artist’ in her school, and has now been nominated for the same award for her entire region. Now with ‘Ceremonials’ in her pocket along with ‘Lungs’, and the promise of more albums in the future, V finally has an idea of who she is and who she wants to become. Her artwork is already taking her places she never would have thought she would go and given her opportunities she would otherwise have never had. Recently V has begun working on her own music, also inspired by the world of Florence + The Machine. Though it hasn’t yet left her mind and her bedroom we’re sure it will be just as rewarding as her art! 

V. Holmes is so grateful to Florence + The Machine. Though they got off to a rough start they have buried themselves so deeply inside her heart that they will forever be a part of her. V ensures at every award ceremony she attends she thanks the band that gave her the courage to become who she is and the inspiration to fulfil her dreams.

Thank you so much to V. Holmes for sharing your beautiful story! We wish you the best of luck with all of your creative outlets, we hope they bring you every happiness!

We hope you all enjoyed this weeks Flow Feature! To share your story just send us an email or submit through our website (the Contact/Submit link at the top)! Until next week…

Inspiring Flows Xxx




 

Welcome to this weeks Flow Feature! Before we begin we must send out huge congratulations to Florence Welch for taking out the award for both of her nominations at the NME Awards last night! This weeks Flow Feature is on S.G. from Australia!

S.G. first discovered Florence + The Machine by chance in early 2010 while on a quest to expand her vinyl collection. She was sifting through the vinyl section in JB Hi-Fi when she came across an album by a band that she had never heard of before. Intrigued by the beautiful album artwork S.G. picked up the copy of ‘Lungs’ by Florence + The Machine. Being a fan of incredible album artwork S.G. concluded that an album with such a beautiful cover could only hold something wonderful inside. Little did she know what this spontaneous choice would mean for her…

From the second the first track started she was in love. S.G. had never heard anything like this before, and knew it was so special that she likely would never hear anything like it again. She played the album as loud as the speakers would go, letting the power of the music take over her body and Florence’s enchanting voice take over her mind. When she reached the end of Cosmic Love she stopped, so overwhelmed by what she had just heard that she could not continue. For the next hour she replayed the track over and over. By
the end S.G. was dancing around the room, swept up in a hurricane of power and emotion by this one track. The drums beating along with her own heartbeat and Florence’s voice speaking the words that had previously been caught so deep inside her soul that they were unreachable. As the drums became more and more powerful S.G. let her feet and her body take over, her voice drowned out as Florence cried the words that S.G. had never been able to say. By the end of the track S.G. found herself slumped against the wall, left in a sort of shock, unsure of what she had just experienced, but ready to go again. 

From that day onwards S.G. had a new lease on life. ‘Lungs’ had filled her with so much hope, inspiration and power, and she wasn’t going to let anything take that away from her. Even during the darker times of her life in the following years S.G. has always had ‘Lungs’ by her side to give her the strength she needed to get through each day. Whenever the road gets rough S.G. just needs to play that one vinyl with the beautiful artwork and somehow the world becomes right again. Though she also loves ‘Ceremonials’ more than words can convey, ‘Lungs’ will always have that special place in her heart. 

Thank you to S.G for sharing your wonderful story! Who would have thought that you would find an album so life changing just on a random whim! We’re so glad that you picked up ‘Lungs’ that day and we hope that with the help of Florence + The Machine can continue to get through anything life throws your way!

We hope you all enjoyed this weeks Flow Feature! We’re always looking for more inspiring Flows to share their wonderful stories with us, send us an email or submit through our website today!



Inspiring Flows xXx