My love for Mumford and Sons lay dormant for a few years. As I diversified my tastes and started to include electronic style and Hip Hop tracks in my playlist, I forgot about my appreciation for the authentic folksy sounds of Mumford and Sons. I recently had the privilege of watching the band play live at the Grand Parade in the city centre of Cape Town and their phenomenal live performance reminded me of my earlier feelings.
What makes Mumford and Sons such an exceptional live act is largely the strength of Marcus Mumford’s lead vocal. I have been disappointed by many a live performance and I believe this is due to a lacklustre vocal that works well on recordings because of the way it is produced. This is not at all the case with Mumford and Sons. This speaks to his technical skill as well as the quality of the band’s performance. Another rare thing is the combination of offering really authentic music, an exceptional level of skill and a great performance.
The set list consisted of a mix of songs from each album that Mumford and Sons has put out. I appreciated the emphasis on the band’s earliest releases, which are among my favourites. Although the band was two hours late to perform due to gale force winds compromising the stage structure, they came on with a high energy performance that was memorable from start to finish. After chatting to a few fellow concert-goers, I am convinced that the standard and atmosphere of the band’s live performance is enough to convert anyone into a Mumford fan. The set commenced with the famous, I Will Wait, and other memorable moments included the sincere and reflective, Believe, along with Little Lion Man and Timshel. The performance of White Blank Page was definitely a high point, the live venue allowing for the layers of the song to come to the fore quite beautifully. This is one of the band’s heaviest tracks, and it was great to see the members of the band playing with such passion.
There is something to be said of performers who visibly love what they do. The absolute passion and joy displayed by each of the members of Mumford and Sons was quite contagious.
The band offered us a very unique encore - a collaborative performance with three local South African acts. This added a really fresh element to the concert. It was also a great way to honour the country and its local talent. The artists played a few songs that they had co-written on Bubba Maal’s travels to the UK last year alongside South African pop band, Beatenberg, the Very Best and John Wizards. The fusion of traditional South African vocal style and rhythm with modern folk instrumentation and harmony is something special and made for a mesmerising finish to a top quality show.
It was wonderful to experience Mumford and Sons in all of their live splendour, and it’s safe to say I’ll be listening to their recorded work a lot more frequently from now onwards.
