Live Report: Florence Road captivate The Academy with their diverse set

Fresh from their run of support slots for Wolf Alice, Florence Road showed The Academy a rollercoaster of emotions Sunday night.

Made up of childhood friends Lily Aron (Vocals), Emma Brandon (Guitar), Ailbhe Barry (Bass) and Hannah Kelly (Drums), the Bray band rose to prominence on TikTok last year, covering pop songs like Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Obsessed’ and ‘Making The Bed.’

2025's road has been more Yellow Brick than Florence. Summer saw them come full circle, opening for Rodrigo at Marlay Park, as well as supporting sombr, Wallows and Royel Otis throughout the year. There's been plenty of new tunes that have justified the hype as too, including singles ‘Storm Warnings’, ‘Miss’ and ‘Break The Girl’, and their debut mixtape, Fall Back, which arrived in June.

Florence Road at The Academy on November 30th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

At The Academy they kicked things off with a bang, opening with the angsty, high-energy 'Figure It Out'. The packed venue made Florence Road feel like a cult band as the crowd erupted at the sound of the first note.

Rising and falling bass notes reverberated throughout the room as the band broke into 'Storm Warnings'. The gritty track featured booming drumbeats as Aron delivered choppy, passionate vocals about ignoring red flags in a relationship.

Shifting to a lighter tone, 'Caterpillar' offered gentle, narrative style vocals about struggles with personal growth. Green lights illuminated the stage as soft guitar strums were met by fans swaying side to side with flashlights held in the air.

Staying with the somber tone, they dove into their rendition of 'Georgia' by Phoebe Bridgers. Accompanied by acoustic guitar, Aron's vocals brought a lighter, innocent feel to the song while still holding true to it's melancholy tone, and the crowd's silence said a thousand words they listened in awe.

Florence Road at The Academy on November 30th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

As the night went on, Florence Road brought the mood up with their hard hitting pop-rock tracks.

The raw 'Break the Girl' took on an Olivia Rodrigo-style pop-punk sound, filled with breathless, angry vocals, snappy drums and a jumpy guitar riff. "La la la" was repeatedly echoed backed by the packed house.

Before heading off stage, the group dug into their Arctic Monkeys adjacent '7563', that growled with slowed down vocals mimicked by a crawling bass line.

After running off stage, the band returned for an encore, breaking into their debut single 'another seventeen'.

To close off the night, Florence Road played their passion-filled ode to an ex 'Goodnight'. Fans screamed along to the bitter lyrics under red red flashing lights as choppy guitar notes sounded throughout the venue, a fitting end to a lively Sunday night.

Despite their discography being in its infancy, Florence Road showcased their vast range, expertly delivering delicate lows and displaying powerful highs in the next breath.

Florence Road at The Academy on November 30th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com