"We've always had this confidence, even before it was warranted," says Lily Aron. "We've just been ready to share us, as Florence Road, completely and fully. You can hear it across the band's debut EP' Fall Back', which was released last year and effortlessly flows between the desperate pain of 'Heavy', the sneering venom of 'Break The Girl' and 'Caterpillar''s pretty escapism without apology. It's also there in sister EP 'Spring Forward', which features tracks that have long been part of Florence Road's vibrant, arresting live show as well as new song 'Hanging Out To Dry', which came together in their rehearsal space a few weeks earlier.
What has changed over the past 18 months, though, is how many people are paying attention to Florence Road's music. In June, they shared a cutesy throwback post that showed their 2022 Spotify page with 8,472 monthly listeners. Now, it's more than 2 million.
Today, the band are talking to Dork in the woods of Latitude, in the midst of a hectic festival season that's seen them play European weekenders for the very first time. Throughout the country-hopping run, the group have seen their music connect with young girls (the expected audience) but also their dads. "I wouldn't have thought our music would have such reach over different generations, but it's really cool," says Lily. "Turns out there's something for everyone," grins Ailbhe Barry.
It might be happening more frequently, but the band are still blown away when they see strangers scream the words to their open-hearted rock songs, or break down in tears during the more tender moments of their set. "It's just wild. I don't think I'll ever get used to it," says Lily. "It's hard to pinpoint exactly why it's connecting. But we try to be very much ourselves and make the music that feels right for us in our souls. We're not trying to please anyone but ourselves."
"We're also not stuck in one genre," adds Emma Brandon. "We just do whatever comes in the moment, and we never have to force anything." All four members of Florence Road have been soaking up influences while on the road, from sharing a stage at Finsbury Park with their mates in Wolf Alice, The Last Dinner Party, Keo and Rachel Chinouriri to seeing overpass, David Byrne, and the "life-changing" Renee Rapp perform live. There's also plenty of inspiration to be had from spending every day together.
They're using this summer to road-test a number of new songs written with the stage in mind. "Playing live has always been such a prominent part of being in a band for us. It is the thing we strive for," says Lily, who confirms there's been "chatter" about a debut album. "Our touring schedule has been mad, so we're just trying to find the time, but we're working on a lot of new stuff that we're already excited to share," she adds. "We just don't know when that's going to be." The vibe for the debut is "classic Florence Road", but the band are also interested in pushing the boundaries of what that means. "There's definitely some stuff that's different to what we've released before."
In the run up to the release of 'Spring Forward', Florence Road felt like they had something to prove, partly because they'd been sitting on those songs for such a long time but also because of how they first started connecting with people. "We started on social media, so we were always a bit nervous about whether we'd be taken seriously," says Lily.
The group cut their teeth covering their favourite songs in a garden shed and sharing them on a TikTok page that also featured the teenagers taking part in viral trends and getting excited about early band wins. "Those videos were silly and fun, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's been really gratifying to see it manifest into this real thing. The past 18 months have just been incredible. We've learned a lot about ourselves, as people and as musicians, and we've got the most gorgeous group of people who come to our shows."
"It's why it's even easier to be more self-assured now," explains Hannah Kelly. "We have all this experience under our belt. We've done the thing."
But rather than scrub those coming-of-age videos from social media, as was suggested at one point by someone outside the group, Flo Ro have left them as a reminder of their journey so far. "Everyone needs to see us in our school uniforms playing a Harry Styles cover that's just okay. It's proof that if you believe in yourself and you keep at it, anything is achievable," says Lily, who's so excited that their music is now being covered by the next generation. "I think if Florence Road can offer joy, comfort or bring out a side of someone that they didn't know was there, that would be incredible."
