Florence and the Machine (also written as Florence + the Machine), is an English rock band that is a recording name of Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide backing music for her voice. Musically, Florence and the Machine's sound is generally referred to as soul-inspired indie rock. Florence and the Machine's music has received praise across the music media, especially from the BBC. This is because the BBC played a large part in Florence and the Machine's rise to prominence by promoting her as part of BBC Introducing. This led to the band playing at a number of music festivals in 2008, including Glastonbury as well as Reading and Leeds and T in the Park. The band's debut album, "Lungs" was released on 6 July 2009. It held the number 2 position for its first five weeks in the charts, behind Michael Jackson. The album has now been in the top 40 UK charts for 22 consecutive weeks.