Florence + The Machine Creates Spellbinding Sound With Britannia Row

Florence + The Machine's 'Everybody Scream' tour is a production masterclass, delivering otherworldly sound to encapsulate an offering so sonically captivating and visually moving, it transcends Florence Welch's alt rock artistry and lands somewhere between high end theatre and anguished folklore.

Her fifth album (which shares the same title) was also her fifth No. 1 debut on the UK Official Albums Chart, while the release reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart in the US. The live interpretation is led by a production powerhouse of Tour Director Lucy Graubart, Production Manager Wob Roberts and Tour Manager Emily Holt. The show itself is equal parts feminine softness and vulnerable rage.

"I'm so proud to work with some iconic female artists, and Florence is certainly that," begins Emily, who has worked with multiple Clair Global brands over the years. "Her voice and stage presence are mesmerizing. Florence not only has a very powerful voice, but an incredible ear too, therefore she's sensitive to the environment around her and needs the confidence in her equipment and team to help her deliver. We have the best audio crew and vendors to ensure that happens."

Crafting the sound for this new body of work is FOH Engineer Brad Madix, who began working with Florence in 2017, describing the gig as being an "incredible" experience. "She's a phenomenal singer, really talented, and such a genuinely pleasant person to work with," he says. "The sound hasn't changed drastically over the years, but the mood has. It's become darker, more introspective, a little more ominous and we've started incorporating some unconventional elements, with unusual instruments to add texture and atmosphere."

These include a glass armonica and a waterphone which is "an eerie, metallic instrument you hear in a lot of sci-fi and horror soundtracks to create shifting, haunting tones," confirms Brad, also used, he says, for interstitial moments between songs to create transitions.

"The band is fantastic, our Musical Director Pauli Lovejoy, is incredible, and Florence has always been incredibly good at singing through being very physical on stage, so I have a lot of talent to work with" he adds.

Florence’s emotive vocals are heard through a DPA 4018V capsule as it's "smooth, with a nice high-end presence," he explains. Mixing on his favourite Avid S6L console, bar a couple of plug-ins, he continues: "I try to keep things relatively simple and use what's in my desk. It comes down to familiarity and workflow, and this desk integrates well with Pro Tools. I like how flexible it is and build layouts for every song, so everything I need is right in front of me, but the goal is to automate as much as possible in the background so I can focus on her vocal. That's always the priority."

“Her voice is so dynamic, going from a whisper to a powerful note without a second's thought. It's not just technically impressive, it's emotionally expressive too. And because she’s very consistent, it makes a big difference from a mixing perspective."

Reliability, Flexibility, and Uniformity

Systems Engineer Elad Kleiner has worked with Clair Global for a decade. Transferring knowledge seamlessly for the 2026 incarnation with Britannia Row, he says the relationship is ‘always a pleasure’: “Once you understand what being a truly global company means, you realise there's almost no limit to the level of support available. Together, we're able to resolve any issues quickly on the road, and that allows us to stay focused on delivering a great show every night."

Brad agrees: "One of Clair's biggest strengths, for all its brands, is global consistency. I know I can take this exact setup anywhere in the world and recreate it. That level of logistical and technical support is hard to match."

Production Manager Wob Roberts, a longtime client of Britannia Row, has relished holding the fort on such an ambitious production. "It's great being able to work Britannia Row and Skan PA again. Brad and Elad stated their preference for using a Cohesion PA during the promo shows last year and hearing it in action now, I can understand why!”

According to Elad, a great show requires “reliability, flexibility, and uniformity” as the building blocks for the perfect listening experience.

The system design comprises Cohesion CO12 main and side hangs, while rear hangs are CO10's. Low-frequency support is provided by flown CP218 II+ subwoofers arranged in a cardioid configuration, complemented by CP218 ground subs positioned across the front in ULF mode. Front fill is achieved using CP6+ self-powered loudspeakers distributed across the front line, with an additional CP6+ placed at the end of the thrust. Delay systems differ by region, with the EU configuration using CO10's and the current US tour deploying CO12's - both operating at 80° dispersion.

"Brad is a phenomenal mixing engineer. We often joke that he takes care of the inputs and I take care of the outputs,” continues Elad. “His mix is incredibly consistent and carefully crafted, which means our PA system's role is to provide a stable and accurate frequency canvas for him to work on.”

Accompanied by PA Techs Anthony Dean, Sascha Stevenson and Lukasz Szatarow, he continues: "While achieving even coverage across the floor, we minimise the level on the thrust stage as much as possible. This is important not only to reduce feedback from Florence's mic, but to lower the noise in her IEMs. We do this while keeping the sonic image aligned with the stage perspective," he explains, citing navigating the production design’s large video screen and long thrust as a potential audio challenge.

"The video screen changes height regularly; its size and position can shade the acoustic summation points between left and right. This could result in poor frequency response towards the far end of the arena, but to address this, we have implemented a centre delay hang to improve consistency for the audience in those seats."

"I really like this system," concludes Brad. "The high end is noticeably smoother, and we're doing a lot less corrective EQ than we used to. It feels like a real step forward."

The Psychology of Mixing Monitors

At the monitor position, Hannah Brodrick likes to “get into the head” of her subjects, calling the need for intuition as crucial in her mixing duties. "The mark of a good monitor engineer is knowing if there's a problem and fixing it before the artist even realises. I always joke that I became a monitor engineer because my dad was an electronics engineer and my mum was a therapist. That combination really helps," she laughs.

"Monitors are about 80% emotional intelligence and 20% technical skill. You need to be able to read people and understand their mood, their confidence, whether they're tired, understanding who needs reassurance etc, and that side of the job comes quite naturally to me. When people ask me what skills you need to mix monitors, I always say: learn a bit of psychology.”

It's not just about the principal artist: “Everyone's mix matters. The crew needs consistency too, because their roles are just as important," she confirms.

A new element to this Florence era is the dancers aka the "witch choir", a group of four backing singers who glide with ethereal contortions as if summoned moments before the show begins. "It adds a lot of choreography, so it’s less about standing with a band now, and more about a full visual performance," Hannah explains.

Using a Quantum 338 and a Shure PSM / Ultimate Ears combo, she continues: "For plug-ins, I'm using Fourier Audio Transform Engine, and Seventh Heaven by LiquidSonics, which sounds amazing, especially on her vocal. I'm also using KLANG: technologies for the first time. It's such an atmospheric show, it's nice to use that sense of space in the mixes. I'm not going overboard; there’s just some subtle touches on BVs and drums."

She also employs a Fairchild 670 compressor and a Lexicon 224 digital reverb.  

Preparing for the show, with Monitor Tech Nick Jackson, Hannah says the support from Britannia Row has been very accommodating. "For example, the warehouse was open on January 2nd when I wanted to prep, which I wasn't expecting. Sam Spice [Britannia Row’s Head of RF & Mics] was a huge help in setting up the RF. This was my first time running IEMs digitally, so I worked closely with him and Shure early on. He even came down to rehearsals to help us run tests, so I feel very well supported."

Nick agrees: "The setup at Britannia Row now is amazing. I started out in their warehouse 11 years ago, and since then, the capabilities have grown massively. If we need extra gear, it's accessible from all over the world. We request it and it simply gets sourced - that level of support is quite impressive."

Adding: "A lot of my job is about optimising the process. There are so many small moving parts, it's all about making things as efficient as possible. Success comes down to good prep and staying aware during the show; you need to be ready if something does go wrong, so I always have a plan."

The Everybody Scream crew hit US shores for prep at Clair Global’s HQ in Lititz, before the North America tour commenced in Minneapolis, MN this month. In summary, Wob reflects as the tour moves stateside: “I've been impressed with the whole Clair Global package. They've covered all our needs, from control and speakers right through to RF co-ordination and licensing, with ease. Thanks to our Account Executives Chris Fitch and Jonathan Dunlop for making it happen."

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Photo Credit: Lillie Eeiger