Mumford & Sons
Loppen, Copenhagen
11th April 2010
A great band once sang “I’m beginning to like country music. They say that’s the first sign of age” and during the last few years I have seen more and more friends go over to the side of banjos, boots and beards. Maybe age is catching up with us but it could also be that country has sneaked its way into the indie scene more and more, being mixed with folk, rock and pop. Mumford & Sons is a band that has embraced flannels shirts with style, evoking images of a windy day on the prairie, not as your Nashville country kind of band but one belonging to the London folk scene. Their debut album Sigh No More was well received and as they are embarking on their European tour most shows have already been sold out, the Copenhagen gig being no exception.
As a support Marcus Mumford and his boys brought another band from the British folk scene, Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit. I normally don’t bother with the support but I’m glad I was early this night. With no expectations these young lads surprised me with their bluesy English folk music and I look forward to the release of their second album.
With all respect to Jonny Flynn and his band members the night turned a corner when Mumford and co came out on the stage. Starting with “Sigh No More”, the title track from their album, the boys entrapped the audience straight away and they couldn’t have asked for a better start of their first European tour (as cocky Brits the boys don’t count the UK as part of Europe). All four band members couldn’t stop smiling more or less the whole gig through and where pumped with energy as they were stamping away on stage. The boys seemed genuinely happy and moved by the response they got from the Danes. When the whole audience sang along to “White Blank Page” Marcus seemed dazed and a bit shocked that “a bunch of Vikings” were singing their song. WBP was followed by a new song which didn’t diverge much from the tracks on the current album but it was clear the audience preferred well-known songs like “I Gave You All” and “Little Lion Man”.
Swapping instruments like you would swap clothes the boys were tight the whole set through and could easily have made you believe they’ve been playing together for a decade or longer instead of a couple of years. Their confidence never swayed and neither did their enthusiasm. Probably for good reasons since the audience couldn’t have been more receptive. If the rest of the tour will be anything like this show Mumford & Sons have a great couple of months ahead of them. Or as Marcus said “We got towels on stage now and when you have towels, you know everything is going to be alright as a band”.
