Florence Black brought their Pouring Rain tour to The Independent in Sunderland on 13 April 2026, playing to a packed, all‑ages crowd at the compact, atmospheric venue.

Before the venue was opened to the viewers, there was a half an hour VIP meet and greet inside, and honestly watching the Welsh trio being so exuberant with every fan, it’s clear that the love and loyalty goes both ways.

Opening the night were a 5-piece from South Wales called Delour. Now I hadn’t heard of these before, but I’m glad that I have now. Their set was short but substantial. Heavier than I expected, but the groove these lads had was unmistakably tight, a stank face was pulled a few times! With nu-metal-esque riffs and flowing melodic vocals, I’m so glad that many people showed up for this support, they were absolutely worth it.

After a quick break and stage turnaround, it was time for Florence Black. The entrance is like a lightning strike - loud, immediate and relentless. Opening with new track Take My Word, the building is practically swaying along to the rhythm. The walls and floor and reverberating and the audience is a constant sway, like a rocky tide.

After a roar from frontman Tristan, there’s no rest as we launch into Coloured In, followed by Start Again. The flow between the trio is watertight, seamlessly transitioning and swinging between sections, they could have been asleep doing it!

While the tour is to show their fantastic new album, the set is filled with different generations of work, from On The Ropes (2021), to Smoke (2017) and back into the recent album with Stuck In The Corner (a personal favourite).

The lights shift and we sink into The Pouring Rain, another excellent track. A little detail I personally love, the lights going to a dewy blue for this, reflecting on the music video.

We shift again, the atmospheric intro to Rockin’ Ring echoing through the room, building a tension. Jordan Evans on bass and Perry Davies on drums keeping an everlasting cohesive and punchy rhythm. Bed Of Nails gets the audience clapping along the beat, Look Up and Zulu keep the crowd in a constant motion, like a pulsating heartbeat. The bands sound favour contrast - muscular. verses that gives way to expansive anthems choruses.

As they leave the stage (briefly) the audience are roaring for one more song. Thank god the boys had killer track Sun & Moon in their back pocket!

The night draws to a close, and honestly it was not enough for me! Florence Black are a band I’ve been listening to for a few years now, and their sound only gets bigger and louder and unapologetic.

Their songs land with physical force while still leaving room for hooks and emotional lift, which makes them equally effective for pit ready nights and radio friendly moments. This balance is one of their defining strengths and what sets them aside in such a distinguished light. I am shocked they are not in bigger rooms and on bigger stages, because simply put, that’s where these boys belong.