The crown kings of new-folk descended upon the south coast for a royal spectacular this week. The ‘Gentlemen of the Road’ is the name of the current tour, and the four men of Mumford and Sons were gentlemen indeed. As well as treating the audience to an incredible show, the four men showed just how polite they are too, asking if it ‘would be ok to play a new song?’ – of course it would Marcus – and later retracing the venues they’ve played in Brighton as if everyone was sitting up there with them, just having a chat.
The band began with familiar opener ‘Sigh No More’, four spotlights shine as the tweed-clad gents sing as one, as if they are singing a choral hymn. The audience is entranced, that is until that banjo comes in, and the Dome erupts with life. It is followed by favourite ‘Roll away your stone’ and then we’re introduced to the waltz of ‘Winter Winds’ which goes down well – although nobody really finds a partner to dance with in this ballroom. A small while into the set and we reach my personal highlight of the night, ‘Timshel,’ it had never been one of my favourites on the album, but it is brought to life in concert. Only four lights shine dramatically down upon the men, their attention so intense, it feels like the band are making eye contact with everyone in the crowd: we dare not move, we dare not utter a single word as to ruin the spectacle.
A sigh, as everyone stops holding their breath, and slowly we are back into the fast-paced folk that we know and love. Small strings of light bulbs have been hanging from the ceiling, un-lit for the duration so far, that is until ‘Little Lion Man’ kicks in. The light bulbs, the house lights, the stage lights, all flash on in succession. The audience looks at each other, new-born babies, basking in the light of the world for the first time, then plunged back into the darkness, and the floor comes alive. A new song, ‘Lover of the Light’ follows, it’s a lot more rocked up from previous work, just as good, and I dare say, not a banjo in sight. Before the obligatory encore, ‘Dustbowl Dance’ brings a slow-burning, wailing guitar-filled,and sadly short lived end to the show. But the band return for ‘I Gave you All’ and the one we had all been waiting for, the ever so Mumford-y ‘The Cave’. All the classic instruments return for this compilation of everything we love about new-folk.
As well as being an incredible live band, I’m pleased that the band are just so polite; and i’m thankful for this, as the new-folk style has brought the band into the limelight like no other (A mercury prize nomination, countless festivals, ticket re-sale prices at £95), and it’s still like they’re playing in a pub, as if they don’t even realise the scale of their success. We just have to hope that they never do.
Mumford & Sons
Brighton Dome
Monday 4th October
Words by Jake Cunningham
