Mumford and Sons @ RAC Arena
w/ Michael Kiwanuka
Sunday, January 27. 2019
Grammy Award winning indie-folk band, Mumford and Sons, are known for their thunderous percussion, earnest lyricism and joyous harmonies. The four-piece have experimented with various sonic soundscapes over the last few years, recently steering their hybrid of bluegrass and shuffling-folk in a more sterilised direction.
Mumford and Sons’ 2018 record Delta was produced by the legendary Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Florence), featuring a variety of cool-handed atmospherics, roaring crescendos and glistening melodies. Notwithstanding, the group elected to only perform three songs from the project, serenading the audience with their wildly popular back catalogue instead.
The crowd came unglued for Little Lion Man and Babel, which were both performed at the edge of the walkway early on in the evening. Gretta Ray joined the band on stage to sing Forever, enchanting the audience with her gorgeous neo-soul vocals and endearing personality. The song Ditmas was also one of the show’s highlights, sung by frontman Marcus Mumford in the midst of frenzied fans.
Marcus had some hilarious audience interactions during the show, poking fun at Australia’s cricket team for their recent cheating scandal, as well as shutting down a well-timed “SHOEY” chant after he snapped his loafer. “Unlike you Australian meatheads, I know EXACTLY where these shoes have been.”
The group’s performance was masterful all evening – particularly during the encore. Their rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire featuring support act Michael Kiwanuka was hypnotic, while The Cave and I Will Wait sent the crowd home happy.
At one point, the band all gathered around a single microphone to play the entrancing Awake My Soul. A dreamy hush fell over RAC Arena as they softly performed the most enduring and spiritual song in their discography.
Mumford and Sons have stretched themselves thin with their experimental endeavours over the last four years, but they played to their strengths last night and exceeded all expectations. The evening went smoothly and the band showcased how sincerely talented they are as musicians.
HARRISON JONES
Photos by Owen Gregory
