Florence Welch has opened up about giving up alcohol after a period of ‘shocking’ parties, as well as speaking out on the impact of her grandmother taking her own life.
Welch, who is due to release her fourth album ‘High As Hope‘ with Florence + The Machine this Friday, has been very vocal about her past battle with alcohol – revealing that she drank because she “didn’t know how to come down from touring” as well drinking before performances to combat her “shyness“.
However, she says that those days are now behind her following the whirlwind years of her first few albums.
“That’s when the drinking and the partying exploded, as a way to hide from it,” Welch told The Guardian. “I was drunk a lot of the time, on extra dirty Martinis – my way of drinking three shots at once. I was never interested in a nice glass of wine.”
She also spoke of how she ‘rarely slept’ in her formative years with Florence + The Machine, and would often have ‘two day parties’ and wake up in strange locations in other peoples’ clothes.
“The partying was about me not wanting to deal with the fact my life had changed, not wanting to come down,” Welch continued. “It always felt like something had picked me up and thrown me around various rooms and houses, then gone ‘boom!’ It happened every time, and every time it was shocking.”
She added: “When I realised I could perform without the booze it was a revelation. There’s discomfort and rage, and the moment when they meet is when you break open. You’re free.”
While saying that she’s ‘further away from her eating disorder than she’s ever been’, Welch also looked to a past family tragedy to explain what she called “a well of longing” inside herself.
“My mother’s mother committed suicide. And the way she was loved by her mother has related to the way she loves us, which then is the way we love others.”
She added: “My grandmother fell, so sometimes I feel like we’re all still in this loop, falling with her. The trickle-down of tragedies.”
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- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably for young men
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- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day
Florence + The Machine recently announced details of a lengthy UK and Ireland arena tour for winter 2018. Visit here for tickets and more information.
‘High As Hope’ is released Friday June 29.