Hip-hop / grime collective Monster Florence unveil Abbey Road performance of ‘Handstand’
WATCH ‘HANDSTAND’ (LIVE AT ABBEY ROAD) HERE
Following on from the release of their highly praised new EP ‘Cowboys And Idiots’, which arrived at the end of May through Project Melody, British hip-hop / grime collective Monster Florence have now returned to unveil an extremely intimate live performance of one of the release’s standout offerings, ‘Handstand’.
Recorded live at the illustrious Abbey Road Studios, ‘Handstand’ caps off their recent 7-track EP and has been regularly commended for its more humble and emotionally-charged direction on the new collection. With its raw and organic sound, elevated throughout this live rendition, the song sees them strip back their usual high-octane fanfare for a more solemn feel, coated in a rich layer of soul and passion throughout.
Speaking about the new performance, the band’s Tom Donovan said, "When we came to recording the live performance of Handstand, we found ourselves in a situation that between the 6 of us, there was no way we could recreate the fullness of the studio recording, so we brought in a couple of close friends who we collaborate with to fill in the missing instruments. We got Will and Robin in to handle piano and double bass duties. We knew that had a string quartet with us on the day, so Jonny knocked up a string arrangement to lift it. When we ran through for the first time, we all stood there in silence trying to take in how magical it sounded. What you see on the video is the 2nd take of it. We agreed to leave it there, as we knew that it couldn’t get any better than that performance. Performing on the Hallowed Grounds of Abbey Road brought the best out of all of us, our engineer Paul even got out one of the old pianos used by the Beatles to use on it. The live version is one of our most proud performances."
‘Handstand’ is lifted from their latest EP ‘Cowboys And Idiots’, which has seen a huge amount of acclaim in recent months, including the single ‘Picture Frame’ featuring Miles Kane, which was premiered by Huw Stephens and NME. Monster Florence also recorded a live video for the track at Abbey Road with Miles Kane and a 14-piece band. The video director James Kelly is a long-term collaborator of Miles Kane and a visual creative contributor to Monster Florence. Working with the band since their inception, he is trusted to add his visual artistry alongside the bands bespoke sonic output. The live performance of ‘Picture Frame’ was an opportunity to bring his trademark directing style into a live session at the most famous recording studio in the world.
Watch ‘Picture Frame’ (live from Abbey Road video) HERE
This was then followed up by ‘26 Ghosts’, which saw the group take on a far darker and atmospheric approach to production. Blending haunting brass instrumentals with pulsing grime beats, this new release was accompanied by a bold and cinematic new video, directed by ABOVEGROUND over the Christmas period.
Speaking about that video, the director added, “26 Ghosts is the most cinematic project we have shot to date. We produced something that was deliberately raw and gritty yet interspersed with wide angle cinematic beauty….”
Watch ‘26 Ghosts’ HERE
Hailing from Colchester (Essex), the six-member music collective Monster Florence is a band that channels Hip-hop, Punk and UK Grime over hypnotic beats laced with raw lyrics and airtight delivery. Vocalists, Dream Mclean, Wallace Rice & Alex Osiris, have been collaborating since their teens making their mark on the Grime scene with DIY music videos and Tim Westwood cyphers.
Formed after linking with producers and musicians Tom Donovan, Cameron Morrell and Jonny Poole. What was meant to be a one-off festival performance turned into a full-time project due to the undeniable chemistry shared on and off-stage. The addition of in-house production and live instruments allowed them to develop their sound, honing in on an alternative style of hip-hop that is truly unique.
Since spontaneously stepping foot into the game they have pumped out Grimey, Punk-infused Hip-Hop over that past 3 years releasing two EP’s, debut album ‘Foul’ and six singles through their label imprint ‘Gold Bar Records’. They played Glastonbury 2019 and have performed at various other festivals as well as a US tour.
At the beginning of 2020 the band signed a worldwide exclusive deal with Project Melody.
LISTEN TO ‘COWBOYS AND IDIOTS’ HERE
‘Cowboys And Idiots’ Tracklist:
Intro
Picture Frame ft. Miles Kane
26 Ghosts
Dust
Let The Timing Beat You
Guantanamo Baby
Handstand
Monster Florence is:
Alex Osiris - VocalsDream Mclean - VocalsWallace Rice - VocalsCameron Morrell - DrumsJonny Poole - Sax/Keys/GuitarTom Donovan - Guitars/Programming/Keys/Production
https://www.instagram.com/monsterflorence/