Florence and the Machine Bringing 'Chaos' to the VMAs

Posted on Sep 10th 2010 11:00AM by Melinda Newman
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Andy Sheppard, Redferns

Heading into Sunday's Video Music Awards on MTV, nominee Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine has one overriding thought running through her mind about her performance: "I really hope I don't f--- it the hell up."

You can't blame her for being a wee bit nervous given her newcomer status. Although Florence and the Machine's debut album, 'Lungs,' soared to No. 1 in her native UK, its ascent here has been much slower and come primarily through placements in such TV programs as 'Grey's Anatomy' and movies like 'Twilight Saga: Eclipse.'

Nonetheless, she finds her striking video for 'Dog Days Are Over' nominated for Best Rock Video, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and, the granddaddy of them all, Video of the Year, against such artists as Lady Gaga and Eminem.

When Welch found out about the nominations, she was, to keep it in British parlance, gobsmacked. Her response, she tells Spinner, was "Are you serious? What? You know MTV is like what proper rock stars do. Is this a joke?" She was so flabbergasted that she confides she could hardly pay attention during a conference call with MTV executives to plan her performance.

She's keeping mum about how she'll execute the propulsive 'Dog Days' live on the show, other than to add that she plans to incorporate many of the elements of the video, such as some of the dancing and other visuals into her performance. "I just want it to have a sense of energy and chaos and the sort of recklessness that the 'Dog Days' video had about it," she says.

Welch is definitely the underdog in the Video of the Year category, but she's just happy to represent Britain. "It's so fantastic to be recognized, especially for such a new British act. It's just the most amazing thing," she enthuses. "I'm totally over the moon about it, totally bemused. I still can't quite figure it out."

Watch Florence and the Machine's 'Dog Days Are Over' Video