Don't hate local newcomers Grouplove because they met and formed while spending a summer on the Greek Isle of Crete. They think it sounds silly too.

"We hate our story," says keyboardist/painter Hannah Hooper. "It sounds like we’re all just like, 'Oh, let’s just lead our amazing lives and go to Greece for the summer!' It’s quite the opposite of that."

Two years ago Hooper was offered a first-year art residency in Greece for her work as a painter. With singer/guitarist Christian Zucconi in tow, the pair left New York for Europe, and met, randomly, their future bandmates: Drummer Ryan Rabin was in the midst of traveling abroad, bassist Andrew Wessen was in Crete to surf and Londonite/guitarist Sean Gadd was visiting a friend. 

"We were just at a point where we were fed up with the monotony of our lives," Hooper says. "Christian and I sold everything to get those plane tickets, and those were the equivalent of a month’s rent."

Going through Crete withdrawal, the newfound pals regrouped in Los Angeles, and their fiddling with instruments started to feel like more than a hobby. A friend of Rabin's signed on as manager, shows started being booked and it suddenly no longer made sense for the five piece to live in three different cities on two continents. 

But enough with the formalities.

If Los Angeles music fans are heretofore ignorant of Grouplove, they're about to get a crash course in Grouplove's anthemic indie-pop oddities, as the band has the opening slot on Florence + the Machine's three-night, sold-out stay this weekend at the Wiltern. The groups share a booking agency in CAA.

"That’s all our agent," Hooper says. "I wish that was more interesting. I want to say, ‘I met Florence in the street and she was amazing and we hit it off.’ But we’ll meet her on Friday."

Come January, Grouplove will lead a residency at the Bootleg Theater, and a full-length is due in 2011 via Warner-affiliated Canvasback. For now, here's what you need to know: