Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – If you are a Florence and the Machine fan and want to see them live this year, book your tickets before it is too late. The event promises to be sold out, and the organizers told Saudi Gazette that the concert is estimated to bring in 12,000 people.

Florence and the Machine were announced as the first headliner act at Sandance on May 10. Their recent collaborations “Spectrum (Say My Name)” and “Sweet Nothing” have been chart busters and favorite plays on the radio stations across the world. 

Keane, Groove Armada DJ Set, Nightmares On Wax, Idris Elba and more artists will also be performing at the event.

The one-off festival is expected to be the band’s only gig of the year with lead singer Florence Welch and keyboard player Isabella “Machine” Summers taking 2013 off to work on a new record because well “the dog days are over.”  Florence, 26, has been on tour since she was 21 and has finally decided to take a break and work on music for an indeterminate amount of time. It will be their third LP, following 2009’s Brit Award-winning Lungs and 2011 follow-up ceremonials. 

Florence and the Machine contributed a new song entitled “Over the Love” to the soundtrack for the forthcoming remake of “The Great Gatsby” by Luhrmann. Florence has crafted the sound and catered to the song from the perspective of Daisy Buchanan in the movie.

Organizers Atlantis and duo Greg Dufton and Tim Derry have definitely reshaped Dubai’s music scene by choosing the most non-commercial and unparalleled artists for the Gulf.