Florentenes blow the roof off of Colours Hoxton
The Manchester band were supporting The Kairos in London.
Photo: Billie Wheeler
Manchester quartet Florentenes are quickly becoming one of those bands you hear about more and more and once you see them live, it’s pretty obvious why. Off the back of supporting The Wombats on the Scottish leg of their tour in 2025 and releasing their second EP Homegrown last year, they’ve been steadily building momentum, and right now they feel like a band that are on the edge of something bigger.
They joined The Kairos on their UK tour and made a stop at Colours Hoxton, tasked with warming up the crowd. It didn’t take long for them to do exactly that. From the moment they walked on stage, there was a real sense of confidence about them, just the kind that comes from playing a lot of shows and knowing how your songs land.
They kicked things off with The News, a newer track that set the pace straight away. It’s the kind of opener that doesn’t ease you in but instead throws you right into their signature sound, loud, energetic and a little rough around the edges in a way that works in their favour. From there, they moved through a set that pulled from across their catalogue, mixing older tracks with newer material without it ever feeling disjointed.
Fan favourites like Madeline and War Horse got some of the strongest reactions of the night, with the crowd clearly already familiar with the words. That’s always a good sign for a support act, especially one that still feels like it’s on the rise. There’s something about those songs that stick: big hooks, driving guitars, and just enough grit to stop it all sounding too polished.
Their newer material holds its own just as well. Undiscovered Colours, released only about a month ago, already feels like a standout. It’s got that same energy as their earlier tracks but sounds a bit more refined, like they’re starting to really lock into what they want their sound to be. When they played it live, it didn’t feel like a “new song” the crowd were waiting to figure out.
They closed their set with Undiscovered Colours and Glue, which was a strong way to leave things. By that point, the room was fully on board, and they’d done exactly what a support band is meant to do: get people engaged, warmed up, and paying attention.
Sound-wise, there are hints of Fontaines D.C. in there, especially in the intensity and delivery, but Florentenes bring a heavier, slightly more aggressive edge to it. It gives their music more bite and helps them stand out rather than just feeling like another band in the same lane.
It felt like watching a band that’s still growing but already has a solid grip on who they are. If they keep going the way they are, it’s hard to imagine they’ll be staying in the support slot for too long.
All photos by Billie Wheeler.
