If Halloween had a soundtrack, Florence Welch would probably write it. The ethereal frontwoman of Florence + The Machine turned SiriusXM’s The Spectrum into a cathedral of chaos this week, performing a haunting live mash-up of Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” and her own cult favorite “Which Witch.”
The performance wasn’t just seasonal spectacle — it marked the beginning of a new Florence era. The band’s upcoming sixth studio album, Everybody Scream, arrives October 31 via Republic Records, promising an emotional, gothic reinvention steeped in themes of witchcraft, mortality, and rebirth.
A Spellbinding Mashup of Gaga and Gothic Glory
Performed for SiriusXM’s Halloween special, the mash-up unfolded like a séance in sound. Welch opened with the eerie choral intro of “Which Witch” — a deep cut from the deluxe edition of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015) — before seamlessly weaving in Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra”, a track from Gaga’s 2025 project Mayhem.
Swelling strings, ritualistic percussion, and Welch’s thunderous vibrato turned the studio into something almost spiritual. The performance climaxed with a reprise of “Which Witch,” Welch’s voice cutting through like a spell under moonlight.
Florence, ever the dramatist, wasn’t just performing — she was conjuring.
“It’s a song about the pull between life and death,” she said in a brief post-performance chat. “And isn’t that what Halloween really is?”
A New Era: ‘Everybody Scream’
The mash-up doubled as a teaser for Everybody Scream, Florence + The Machine’s first full-length album since 2022’s Dance Fever — which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and topped the U.K. Albums Chart.
Described by Welch as “a fever dream of witchcraft, mysticism, and feminine rage,” the album was shaped by her near-death experience following emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy last year.
“The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death,” she told The Guardian. “This record came from surviving that.”
The LP features previously released singles “Sympathy Magic” and “Spell It Out,” both darker and more cinematic than her earlier work — leaning into the spectral grandeur that made Florence + The Machine a household name.
Witches Unite: Florence, Gaga, and a Circle Completed
The performance’s Gaga connection runs deeper than coincidence. Florence and Gaga have long shared mutual admiration — and even a duet. Back in 2016, the pair collaborated on “Hey Girl” from Gaga’s Joanne album.
During her Mayhem Ball Tour stop in Barcelona this week, Gaga performed “Hey Girl” live for the first time ever, just hours before Florence’s SiriusXM mash-up aired. Call it cosmic timing or witchy synchronicity — either way, it’s proof that their creative energy still orbits in tandem.
“In 2009, I was only listening to Lady Gaga — that was it,” Welch recently told Triple J. “I don’t know if I’d listen to Everybody Scream if I wasn’t me,” she joked, laughing.
Tour 2026: ‘Everybody Scream’ Live
Florence + The Machine aren’t stopping with just a record. The band will embark on the Everybody Scream Tour, launching April 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, with stops in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Toronto. Rising artists Rachel Chinouriri, CMAT, and Sofia Isella will open across select dates.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 5, at 10 a.m. local time, with pre-sale beginning November 3 via the band’s official site.
If the SiriusXM performance is any indication, these shows will be less concerts and more ceremonies — where baroque pop meets witchy performance art.
The Cultural Pulse: Florence’s Gothic Renaissance
In an era dominated by hyper-pop and algorithmic anthems, Florence Welch continues to prove there’s room for myth, poetry, and mysticism in modern music.
Her new album doesn’t just mark a comeback; it signals a creative rebirth — one rooted in pain, ritual, and transcendence. Like Kate Bush before her, Florence transforms personal chaos into communal catharsis. And this Halloween, she’s once again reminding us: pop can still feel sacred.
FAQs
1. What songs did Florence + The Machine perform on SiriusXM for Halloween?
They performed a mash-up of Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” and their own song “Which Witch.”
2. When does the new Florence + The Machine album come out?
Everybody Scream will be released on October 31, 2025, via Republic Records.
3. When does Florence + The Machine’s 2026 tour start?
The Everybody Scream Tour begins April 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, with North American dates through the summer.