The cover coincided with Gaga’s debut performance of “Hey Girl,” their Joanne collab, in Barcelona
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Florence and the Machine had the perfect Halloween-themed performance for their visit to SiriusXM. Backed by a stunning harp, Florence Welch delivered a mashup of 2015’s “Which Witch” and Lady Gaga‘s Mayhem favorite “Abracadabra.”
Welch opened with her heresy-referencing How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful song, followed by an evocative fiddle-flute transition into the Gaga track. The band concluded the performance by returning to “Which Witch.”
The timing of the cover couldn’t have been more kismet. During her Mayhem Ball Tour stop in Barcelona Wednesday night, Lady Gaga snuck in “Hey Girl,” her duet with Welch from 2016’s Joanne. It was Gaga’s first time performing the song live.
In an interview last month, Welch spoke about her love for Gaga’s early music. “In 2009, I was only listening to Lady Gaga, that was it,” she told Triple J. “Whether I would listen to this [album, Everybody Scream], I don’t know.”
Back in 2016, Gaga also shared her appreciation for Welch after their time working together. “Florence and I, when we were working together, we laughed, we cried, we hugged each other,” Gaga said to Elvis Duran, adding in a later Heat Radio interview: “Her voice is sensational. She’s one of the greatest singers in the world.”
Welch’s SiriusXM visit comes as she continues to promote Florence and the Machine’s album, Everybody Scream, which drops Friday. The record is the followup to 2022’s Dance Fever.
With their most recent performance, Florence and the Machine enthralled audiences once more with a breathtaking rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra.” With their distinctive ethereal sound, the British indie-rock group, fronted by the peerless Florence Welch, reinterpreted the pop song. Their hauntingly beautiful interpretation has swiftly gained popularity among fans.
Welch’s soaring vocals and the band’s sweeping instrumentals turned Gaga’s lively dance music into a mystical, ethereal ballad during the performance’s recent live recording in London. The arrangement created a whole different emotional world by substituting hypnotic percussion and lush orchestral sounds for the original’s electronic pulse.
Both critics and fans have commended the cover’s depth and artistry. Reactions were all over social media, with many people praising Welch for giving the song a completely new soul while retaining its core. On X (previously Twitter), a fan commented, “Only Florence could transform a dancefloor hit into a gothic fairytale.”
Reposting the performance video with the message, “Pure magic — Florence, you’ve outdone yourself,” Lady Gaga apparently responded enthusiastically.
This is not the first time Florence and the Machine have successfully covered other artists. The ensemble, which is well-known for their captivating live performances, has previously reimagined songs by Fleetwood Mac, Drake, and The Beatles, each time adding a distinct, unearthly beauty.
Florence and the Machine remind audiences why they are still one of the most dynamic acts in contemporary music with this most recent version of “Abracadabra”—they can transform even the most well-known pop tunes into masterpieces.
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