Florence Welch likes the studio to feel like she’s conducting “a sacrifice or exorcism or absolution” when recording.

The Florence + the Machine singer has just completed her second album, ‘Ceremonials’, and explained how she likes to set a mystical mood in the studio with producer Paul Epworth.

She said: “We didn’t have seances, but we bought matching headdresses at one point. It’s nice to get yourself in a state of mind where you’re slightly removed, like it’s a ceremony or a ritual.

“It could either be a sacrifice or exorcism or absolution, good or bad, it doesn’t matter.

“We burnt a lot of candles. You want to get into the state of mind where it feels like you’re conducting a ritual, almost.”

As well as her ritualistic tendencies, Florence also claims to “feed off” other people’s emotions.

She added to NME magazine: “As a performer you pick up other people’s emotions so much and you feed off them because they’re like your paint. Like an artist gets so intoxicated by colours and for chef it’s flavours.

“For songwriter its emotions and stuff, you sort of absorb them. I get really affected by people’s moods.”