Florence Road @ The Wardrobe, Leeds 16th May 2026
- Huw Williams
- Jun 3
- 2 min read
Florence Road: Too Big for The Wardrobe Already
Sold-out singalongs, future anthems and a fanbase growing faster than the venues can contain.
Words and Photos - Huw Williams
Queues wrapped around the block outside The Wardrobe long before doors opened, fans desperate to claim a place on the barrier for Florence Road’s first ever Leeds show. Sold out weeks in advance, this felt less like a band arriving and more like one already outgrowing venues this size.
The Wicklow four-piece consisting of lead singer and guitarist Lily Aron, guitarist Emma Brandon, bassist Ailbhe Barry and drummer Hannah Kelly, have spent the last year sharpening their live reputation on support slots alongside the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Wolf Alice and The Last Dinner Party. Two EPs into their recording career, they already carry themselves with the confidence and chemistry that speaks to their long-standing friendship.
Their sound sits somewhere between contemporary indie rock and expansive alt-pop, driven by sharp guitar lines, melodic hooks and choruses built for a live crowd. There are flashes of Wolf Alice’s depth and texture, while some of the theatrical edge and rhythmic swagger of The Last Dinner Party creeps into the bigger moments, but Florence Road are quickly establishing an identity of their own.
As the lights dropped just before 9pm, the roar from the packed room immediately lifted the atmosphere another level. In a venue as intimate as The Wardrobe, the closeness between band and crowd mattered. Every lyric felt shared. The sound was excellent too - clear, balanced and powerful.
Opening trio 7563, Figure It Out and Hand Me Downs immediately triggered huge singalongs, arms aloft across the room and, refreshingly, very few phones interrupting the moment. 7563 in particular carried echoes of The Last Dinner Party in its riffs and drama, while Storm Warnings arrives like a fully fledged anthem, powerful and driving from start to finish.
Elsewhere, the quieter Heavy produced one of the night’s loudest singalongs, the crowd turning its chorus into something almost choir-like, while Rabbits Can Swim revealed a softer, more vulnerable side to the band. New material also landed impressively. How Does It Make You Feel rolled forward on a driving bass line, while No Better Woman and Surprise Surprise - complete with its own synchronised chorus dance move - hints at how Florence Road continue to evolve, and what the future holds.
The biggest reactions inevitably came for breakthrough single Caterpillar and set closer Break The Girl, both greeted like future indie standards by a crowd already deeply invested in every word.
There’s a beautiful, inclusive community forming around Florence Road, a dedicated fandom built not on hype alone but on genuinely high quality contemporary rock songs delivered with conviction and warmth.
There's so much more to come from this band who have honed their craft on bills with some of the world's biggest artists. Now it's time for them to come out from those support slots and wherever they head, a lot of us will be following Florence Road to their inevitable destination.
