Florence Welch has shared praise for Nick Cave, describing him as an “incredibly wonderful human being” and saying that he helped her complete Florence + The Machine’s latest album.
The comments come as Florence + The Machine dropped their sixth full-length album, ‘Everybody Scream’, on Friday (October 31). It contained hit singles like ‘One Of The Greats’ and the title track, and has already gone on to receive acclaim from fans and critics alike.
Now, in a new interview with Rolling Stone about the album, singer Welch has revealed that Cave offered her support and advice during the writing process, and credited him with helping her get it over the finish line.
“Nick Cave has been so kind to me,” she began. “Nick and Susie Cave have just been the most wonderful and kind friends. I sent Nick some of my poetry, and he helped me edit some.”
Welch went on to add that they kept in touch regularly during the writing process and during her previous time on the road, and would often reassure her when it came to the pressures of touring.
“[I’d] write him stressed emails from tour, and he would reply and be so kind. As someone who’s such a physical performer as well, he understood what I was putting myself through. He’s an incredibly wonderful human being,” she shared.
Also speaking to Rolling Stone, Welch shed light on a reference to The 1975 on the latest album.
Referencing the lyrics: “Breaking my bones/Getting four out of five/Listening to a song by the 1975/I thought, ‘Fuck it, I might as well give music by men a try,” on ‘Music by Men‘. Welch was asked which track she was listening to at the time.
“We’re fucking in a car/Shooting heroin/Saying controversial things,” she sang, sounding out ‘A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships‘ track ‘Love It If We Made It’.
“I was like, ‘This song is really good,’” she shared. “A big thing with songwriting is it’s often because it rhymes. So you needed a band that rhymed with five.”
Welch previously revealed that the inspiration for the ‘Everybody Scream’ album came from undergoing lifesaving surgery during the ‘Dance Fever’ tour in 2023.
She has since opened up further about the procedure, revealing that she had suffered an ectopic pregnancy and saying “The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death.”
NME gave the record a full five stars, sharing: “There’s no easy, radio-friendly hit here, nor a euphoric finale, with the album instead departing on a small exhale.”
“It’s a succinct and surprising end to a tempestuous record, one that stays with you longer than the rage and anguish which, here, is as fleeting, yet deeply magical, as the changing seasons,” it added.
Florence + The Machine are set to embark on a UK and European arena tour in February, which includes two nights at The O2 in London – find any remaining tickets here. Last week, the band also shared North American tour dates for 2026, with support coming from Rachel Chinouriri, SOFIA ISELLA, CMAT and Mannequin Pussy. Tickets for those dates will be available here.
As for Nick Cave, next year the singer will be joining Calvin Harris and The xx as headliners for Open’er festival – performing with The Bad Seeds. The appearance comes as an extension to his 2026 European tour dates, and follows on from the band sharing their critically acclaimed ‘Wild God’ album in 2024.
Before announcing the Open’er slot, he shared details of a huge 2026 Brighton Preston Park gig, received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Art, and confirmed that a new documentary starring Welch, Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood, and Warren Ellis, would be coming to Sky Arts.
Visit here for tickets to all of his upcoming shows with The Bad Seeds.
