Mumford and Sons Pretend to Be Irish

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Concerts / Tours, Gossip, Alternative, Folk, Rock,

Mumford and Sons say convincing people they're Irish is the secret of their success.

The "I Will Wait" band is from England, but their use of traditional instruments - including accordion, mandolin and double bass - and close harmonies means some people mistake them for being from neighboring Ireland. "Everyone thinks we're Irish. There's an Irish bar in every town - it's the secret of our success," keyboard player Ben Lovett said.

Banjo player Winston Marshall also points out the roots of their sound and some of their instruments, such as the banjo, aren't even from Europe, adding, "We're in a long line of English people pretending to be Americans and not being as good as Americans."

The band - also including Marcus Mumford and Ted Dwayne - are known for spending long periods touring around the world, particularly in the US, but aren't huge fans of having to do it in a bus. "I went camping on a stag weekend and hated it. [And] you can't s**t on the bus. You still brush your teeth outside and spit it out, just like on a campsite," Marcus added.

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Mumford and Sons: Glastonbury Is a Risk

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Concerts / Tours, Performances, Folk, Rock,

Mumford and Sons aren't sure they can compete with The Rolling Stones at Glastonbury and admit the festival appearance is a big "risk."

The "I Will Wait" band see headlining the world renowned event as the biggest "gamble" they've ever taken, and aren't sure if they can live up to the legacy of their co-headliners - who have been touring for 50 years.

"It's a really huge deal to headline Glastonbury; we're a young band with only two records behind us. This summer is probably the biggest risk we've ever taken," frontman Marcus Mumford said.

Banjo player Winston Marshall added, "I've seen The Stones play for three hours and the crowd knew every song. It's what you want in a headline slot at a festival. I'm scared because it feels like a gamble. We don't know if we've earned it yet or not."

Bass player Ted Dwayne also admits he's getting nervous in the run up to their closing festival slot on Sunday June 30: "The other night was the first time I visualized the [main] Pyramid Stage in my head. I hadn't made that connection before, and it actually real, it's really, really scary."

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Mumford and Sons Nervous About Headlining Arenas

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Concerts / Tours, Performances, Folk, Rock, New Releases,

Mumford and Sons are nervous about headlining arenas. The band have just released their second album Babel and announced a huge run of shows - including their first ever arenas in the UK - and are worried about making their sound big enough to fill such huge spaces.

"We've only ever done five [arenas] I think. We did three in Canada, one in Portland, Oregon and one in Amsterdam and it was quite difficult. Big respect to bands who do arenas because, it's a big space to fill," band member Winston Marshall said. "It's hard to connect but it's also kind of epic and a part of us always wanted to achieve those things," band member Ben Lovett added.

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Mumford and Sons Made Sacrifices for New Album

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Upcoming Releases, Folk, Rock,

Mumford and Sons have made "sacrifices" for their new album.

"The Little Lion Man" band, who formed in December 2007, hope their second record, Babel, will change people's view, after being labeled "folk," a tag they disagree with.

"The cynics can all f**k off. We think this new record will attract a different audience and broaden people's views of us. We have made so many sacrifices and we've not taken the easiest route. And so I hope people do understand where we are coming from because it's a good place, not a capitalistic venture at all," said keyboardist Ben Lovett.

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Mumford and Sons Unveil Their New Track

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Collaborations, Folk, Rock, Soundtracks, New Releases,

Mumford and Sons have unveiled a new track, "Learn Me Right." The folk-rock group collaborated with vocalist Birdy - who sings lead on the song - which is included on the soundtrack to new animated film Brave.

"It's quite fun doing a song for a movie rather than for an album. We liked the idea of having an orchestra in the background and having a girl like Birdy sing - it's been quite liberating," frontman Marcus Mumford said.

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Mumford and Sons Complete Album

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Upcoming Releases, Folk, Rock,

Mumford and Sons has finished recording their new album - but may not release it.

The group have been working hard on the follow-up to 2009's Sigh No More and admits they will scrap the record if it doesn't meet their high standards.

"We've done recording it but if we listen back while we're mixing and discover it's s**t then we'll just start again. We're not going to put it out until it's good enough," said keyboard player Ben Lovett.

The band are planning to play new tracks at their summer dates because they enjoy seeing the crowd's response to new material. "Playing the songs like helped shape them because we get to listen to them through the crowd's ears," banjo player Winston Marshall explained to NME magazine.

And the group are quick to reassure fans not to expect a radical departure from their previous material on the new album. "[Frontman] Marcus [Mumford] made a joke that the album wasn't doom folk and we don't really know why he did that. We'd just like to assure everyone that it is doom folk," Winston added.

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