The Gown Student Newspaper at Queen's University Belfast

GIG REVIEW: Mumford and Sons in Mandela Hall

Mumford and Sons returned to Belfast with a decidedly louder bang on Saturday night, finding their audience swelled both in number and enthusiasm, since playing the Open House Festival here in September. The sold out gig had been upgraded from the Spring and Airbrake due to excessive demand, and Mandela hall was packed to the rafters with a rather eclectic collection of fans. Hailing from the same London folk scene as Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale, the band has received considerably more media attention than their contemporaries, and many would claim, rightly so.

BY ROISIN MURRAY

Having been championed by Radio 1 since the release of their debut single, ‘Little Lion Man’, their path to success has been relatively straightforward, playing ever larger venues and enjoying chart success with their album, Sigh No More. Singer, Marcus Mumford appeared amazed at the level of support for his band, telling the crowd that one day he half expects someone to tell them they “aren’t very good”, though the deafening cheers which almost drowned out his attempts to show humility, showed that a revelation such as this seems unlikely.

Following support act, Irish band O Emperor’s ethereal opening set, the boys from London took to the stage amid eager chants from the Belfast crowd.  Opening with the apocalyptic chords of  ‘Sigh No More’, the four chimed together vocally to create a harmonious, if eerie, show starter. The performance was energetic and lively and the versatile musicians showed real passion for their music.

Branded as a “folk” band (an unwelcome tag it has been suggested), their myriad collection of instruments seems to support this definition, with cellos, banjos, mandolins and organs being bandied about like nobody’s business. However, their style of delivery suggests something else. The energy and sheer youthful exuberance of their performance dispelled any notions of old-fashioned tradition, and Mumford’s vocals, which somehow achieve a paradoxically lilting yet gravelly sound, coupled with thought-provoking lyrics, make this band very different to traditional folk artists of years gone by. Even the composition of their songs, which, somewhat repetitively, consists mainly of a slow build up and a potent finish, tears them out of the folk shaped niche that the industry sometimes appears determined to push them into. These momentum filled climaxes were construed more powerfully in the live show than on record, and succeeded in working the crowd into something of a frenzy. “Folk-rock” has been offered up as a potential label, though this also reeks a little, of trying too hard to pigeon-hole them.

The quartet entertained the crowd with many favourites from the current album, and a few new songs for good measure, which received a welcome reception from fans, on this, the last night of their UK tour. Soon to embark on their headline European tour, followed by the relentless festival season in the summer, Mumford and Sons have a busy few months ahead. Having proved themselves as a great live band, with all the power and gusto of well-seasoned performers, they’ll be sure to pull in the crowds upon their return to Ireland, playing the Oxegen Festival in July.

Tags: Gown, Mandela Hall, Mumford and sons, newspaper, qub, Queen's, queen's university, Roisin Murray, student, The Gown

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 11:16 am and is filed under Arts + Ents. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.