As dusk settled over Londons Victoria Park after the hottest day of the year, 40,000 people crowded in for Mumford And Sons homecoming show after months on the road, one filled with tears, love, and a heck of a lot of foot stomping.
After 12 years and four albums, the four piece still have many looking down on their banjo-led sing-along tracks but as they kicked off with recent track Guiding Light, this was a band in control of their stage.
Full disclosure: Ive seen Mumford And Sons live more times than I can now count from tiny cavern-like clubs to the biggest festival stages.
The music has always been more emotional than anthem-worthy despite their ability to craft a hook that youll be humming under your breath for weeks, and its always been my opinion that the bigger the venue, the less their sounds works.
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But this most recent tour has bought change.
As the band took over London festival All Points East with a headline set, lead singer Marcus Mumford made the most of the space, running all over the stage and jumping down – quite literally – into the crowds.
Pyrotechnics and fireworks added to the electric sound of their more recent tracks from Wilder Mind and Delta.
Kicking off with recent single Guiding Light, there were no sound issues that befell other headliners at the festival but it was clear from the outset that this show meant something, with Marcus overcome with emotion by the end of the track.
Its good to be home, he told the adoring crowds, later tearing up again during Beloved.
Mumford And Sons have long made it a point to take a moment during their shows and perform as acoustically as possible but at a venue such as Victoria Park, well meaning attempts disappointed.
Youre never going to get a crowd this size to be quiet enough that everyone can hear whats being played down one solitary microphone, and despite Marcuss request that everyone shut the f**k up, it was impossible to hear what was played.
They chose to play three songs like this, bringing out Gretta Ray at one point, but it felt like a wasted opportunity and left many feeling restless, with people taking to their phones and talking to each other.
It felt like the band knew it wasnt working as well but they persevered and promised it was time for a dance as they returned to the main stage and broke into Awake My Soul, one of their early songs.
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Rose Of Sharon bled into I Will Wait, their biggest crowd pleaser that left everyone screaming along, before ending on Delta, the title track of their most recent album.
But this wouldnt be a Gentlemen Of The Road show without a closing track that saw the acts from across the day hit the Read More – Source
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