I caught up with Florence Welch, songwriter and frontwoman of Florence & The Machine, back in November for a quick chat after her show at Nottingham Bodega. The main article is in the forthcoming issue of Bullet, but I thought I'd share some of her thoughts on today's main news with you, Barack Obama...

Turns out Flo is rather excited about America's latest president, "I mean what I'm really excited about is Barack Obama becoming president of the fucking United States! He's just the most amazing, gorgeous man, and America has elected him!". Echoing the words of many interviewed in the run up to his inauguration today, Florence goes on to profess that "we're living in glorious, magical times where anything can happen if you wish it. Do you know what I mean?". She goes on, "sometimes that's how I feel about all of this happening. If you wish for something enough, you long for it, and you think there's no hope, but then you'll sign a record deal!". Quite, I'm sure that's precisely how it felt to Obama.

Looking back to November, Florence was pretty full of energy, completely overexcited like a child in a sweetshop. Not that all this hope and dreaming means she wants to be compared to the man himself, quite the opposite. "We're going through this period of doom and gloom, depression, but there's still hope in like the world. But you know, lets not compare me to Obama! This man is a shining hope for the world and I just write these silly little songs about things". Rather good silly little songs though, right Flo? "I hope he cried when he found out he won! I mean I wept after my first gig, and after my first headline gig. He just seems like a man with so much emotion!". Here's a collective raised glass to Obama, now run along and buy some Ojamas...

I've posted a recording of Florence's cover of Beirut's 'Postcards From Italy', a superb summer track, debuting in it's original form on Beirut's debut album Gulag Orkestar. You can catch Florence & The Machine playing the NME Awards Tour this coming Jan/Feb with Glasvegas, White Lies, and Friendly Fires. The tour hits Lincoln on the 10th of February, tickets from all the usual outlets.

[MP3] Florence & The Machine - Postcards From Italy (Beirut cover)
[MYSPACE] Visit Florence on myspace here.