Love Each Other - And Put Your Phones Down, Florence Welch Tells Music Fans

Love Each Other - And Put Your Phones Down, Florence Welch Tells Music Fans
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Florence + the Machine star Florence Welch has issued a rallying cry for love and unity during her headlining set at a London festival.

The British singer was the closing act on the second day of Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time in Hyde Park and pleaded with a euphoric crowd to come together to love one another.

Ahead of the London band's rendition of Candi Staton's You Got The Love, she said: "I have been feeling a bit heartbroken recently but tonight I have been feeling so much love.

"I see so much love in each and every one of you, the love you have here I see so clearly, take it out there with you.

"The world needs more love, no matter where you are from, we need to come together to love one another and look after each other."

Dressed in an ethereal blue dress before changing into the same gown in red, she begged fans to put down their phones for her performance of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.

She said: "This is the end of a year and a half of touring, this is the last show, and in that time I've noticed something about myself and wanted to deal with it on stage.

"Instead of looking at where I was I was looking at my phone so I was wondering if for one song we could all put our phones away. Don't be that guy filming."

The band's set also included renditions of hits Dog Days Are Over, Shake It Out and What Kind Of Man.

Music fans tolerated heavy downpours to enjoy sets from American rapper Kendrick Lamar, Jamie XX, Cat Power, Blood Orange and The Odyssey ahead of Florence + the Machine's London homecoming.

Carole King will perform at the festival on Sunday, marking her first concert in the capital for decades.