Grammy-nominated British indie folk band Mumford and Sons will head to Canberra later this year as part of a large-scale national tour.
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The quartet, which shot to fame with its boisterous debut song Little Lion Man, will visit Canberra for the first time on Friday, October 26, playing the Royal Theatre.
Currently on the European festival circuit, the decision to play the national capital was an easy one for the band, according to banjo player ‘‘Country’’ Winston Marshall.
“On this tour in October, we’ve said we are going to as many places as we can and they will be places we have never been before,” Marshall told The Canberra Times.
“Canberra is definitely one of them. We don’t know much about the place but from what we’ve heard it’s a place that we will like. I’ve heard the coffee there is apparently very good.
“Little Lion Man broke in Australia first, it was bigger in Australia than in the UK and US, and it’s a place we’ve fallen in love with and we want to do the place well this time around.”
After taking out the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100 title with Little Lion Man, the band’s debut album Sigh No More reached number two in the US billboard charts, which led to two Grammy nominations – and a performance alongside Bob Dylan.
The band has completed the long-awaited follow up album, due for release in September, and has previewed a number of new songs, including Whispers InThe Dark and the tender Ghosts That We Knew.
“The first time around there was no demand for our music, it just grew through word-of-mouth,” Marshall said.
“This time, there’s more people wanting it, but it’s not been that difficult second album syndrome.”
In a hectic couple of years, Mumford and Sons have also played for US President Barack Obama at the White House, played with Bruce Springsteen and appeared on David Letterman’s legendary talk show, but Marshall prefers the quieter side of life.
“Festivals are more rowdy in Europe, everyone is there to drink a lot, but I prefer the quieter scene,” he said.
“We get to meet families at gigs all the time, I love seeing kids, students and bald heads in the crowd. We’ve managed to go across the spectrum.
“It’s always great to see grey hairs in a crowd; people who are older have been to a lot more gigs than the kids, they’ve seen everything, so seeing them in the crowd means we’ve earned their applause.”
