<p>The story of&nbsp;<strong>Florence + The Machine</strong>&nbsp;makes an exhilarating contrast to the fortunes of those pre-packaged, stage-schooled pop stars who just wanted to be famous.<br />
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A bookish south London child who had sung at family funerals, Florence Welch exploded onto the international scene after her wild art school party days and a series of life-changing meetings with people like co-writer Isabella Summers, manager Mairead Nash and producer Paul Epworth.<br />
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The first two albums,&nbsp;<em>Lungs</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Ceremonials</em>, went multi-platinum and&nbsp;<strong>Florence + The Machine</strong>&#39;s emotional, quasi-mystical brand of pop brought them international fame. Meanwhile Florence&#39;s idiosyncratic fashion sense had grabbed the attention of Gucci and Karl Lagerfeld, so guaranteeing the band an eye-catching icon to match the music.</p>