Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons are a London, United Kingdom group formed in 2007. The line-up includes Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Ted Dwane and Winston Marshall, with Marshall later leaving the band. The group is active from 2007 to the present and releases music on Gentlemen of the Road.

Style and formation

The band develops from the West London folk environment and is associated with folk rock, folk pop, folk rock, indie folk, alternative rock, americana and pop rock. Their early sound uses acoustic guitar, banjo, piano and double bass alongside rhythmic alternative rock elements, and the members also play drums, keyboards and other traditional folk instruments such as mandolin and resonator guitar. The band name comes from Marcus Mumford being the most visible organiser of the group and its performances, with the name intended to suggest an old-fashioned family business.

Releases

Their first release is the Love Your Ground EP, issued in 2008 on Chess Club Records. The studio albums are Sigh No More (2009), Babel (2012), Wilder Mind (2015) and Delta (2018). They also release two live albums, Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire and The Road to Red Rocks.

Sigh No More reaches number two on both the UK Albums Chart and the Billboard 200 in the United States. Babel and Wilder Mind both debut at number one in the UK and US, with Babel becoming the fastest-selling rock album of the decade. The third album marks a shift away from the earlier banjo-led sound, with the band moving towards heavier instrumentation and a full drum kit.

Career highlights

The group begins working with manager Adam Tudhope in early 2008, leading to attention from Island A&R Louis Bloom. They complete a UK tour in February 2008 and make their first Glastonbury Festival appearance in June 2008. They later headline Glastonbury in 2013 after the success of Babel. They also tour Australia with Laura Marling.

Marcus Mumford says that Old Crow Medicine Show has a major influence on the band, helping prompt their interest in folk and bluegrass and in playing the banjo. Their lyrics often draw on literature, including Shakespeare, Homer, G.K. Chesterton, Chrétien de Troyes and several novels by John Steinbeck. Songs noted for these references include “Sigh No More”, “Roll Away Your Stone”, “The Cave”, “Little Lion Man”, “Timshel” and “Dust Bowl Dance”.

Awards

The band wins the Brit Award for Best British Album for Sigh No More in 2011 and the Brit Award for Best British Group in 2013. They receive six Grammy Award nominations overall for Sigh No More, and eight Grammy nominations for Babel, which also wins the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. A performance at the 2011 Grammy ceremony with Bob Dylan and The Avett Brothers helps increase their profile in the United States.