Mumford & Sons – Live at the Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Saturday 11th October 2008
In my last review of Mumford & Sons I said that they had that something about them that says pretty loud and clear to me that they have the capacity to become big. I stand by that impression, and I will add to it: I think they might just have the capacity to do what Noah & the Whale signally failed to do, which is break out of the London indie-folk scene and gain mainstream recognition, without necessarily harming their appeal amongst the grass-roots fans who first supported them.
The four-part harmonies are genuinely powerful – they really hit you, grab you by the cockles and make you want to throw your arms in the air and sing along. This kind of euphoric giddiness is, I think, what makes me say that they could indeed go on to be very successful. A bigger group needs a capacity to fill a big venue, and I have little doubt that these boys have got it.
A bigger group also needs to be able to write songs that aren’t too ‘difficult’, ones that everyone can get without having to be trained into a specific sound, and I think they succeed here too. The roaring harmonies have strong gospel flavours, which brings a more immediate impact to their sound than might the English folk sound on which it is often based. The combination is heady.
Strategic record industry analysis aside, this was a brilliant show. Marcus Mumford’s voice is the centre-piece in many ways, alternately bellowed at you full-throated or snarled out of the corner of his mouth as if he wanted to kill every last member of the audience. But banjo-wielding Winston is perhaps just as important, partly for the reckless pace a banjo brings to music in general, and also for having an equally powerful and charismatic voice to add to the mixture.
This choral gospel swell, to which many of their songs ascend, does leave you with the impression that you have just attended a spiritual of some description rather than a gig. White Blank Page is enough to curl your toes back on themselves in delight, and it is not alone in their canon in being able to conjure that kind of emotion.
These lads are good. Bloody good. I really, really hope the songs can sustain this kind of level, because they only have a four-track downloadable EP for the time being, available here, and there is never any certainty of continued excellence when a group is this fresh out of the box. So for now, I guess what we have is a small number of amazing songs, some genuine potential and a live experience that is nothing short of euphoric. Brilliant stuff.
Dylan has some fantastic pictures from the gig, such as the one above, available on Blueback Hotrod.
Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page
Mumford & Sons – Hold On to What You Believe
[...] Check out the magnificient Mumford boys on their MySpace …and read Matthew’s review of a splendid evening’s entertainment on Song, By Toad. [...]
I know I’m being unfair but his voice is just too eerily similar to Dave Fucking Matthews (of the Dave Fucking Matthews Fucking Band, or DFMFB) for me to enjoy this. It makes me think of all the pretty hippy girls who wouldn’t sleep with me when I was an undergraduate.
Look, C&B, we had this out last time and I think you lost then, too…
No, seriously, I just listened to a bit of the DFMFB and I can hear a feint echo of similarity between the voices, I’ll conceed that. This time. Because it’s you.
But if you were to listen hard enough you’d be able to link dozens of disparate singing voices from hugely different musical backgrounds just on the basis of a passing similarity.
However, you can’t deny that Marcus Mumford’s voice is a vastly more powerful, emotive and evocative vessel than DFM’s, even allowing for a hint of similarity.
If I may elaborate on my point, C&B
© Drunk Country 2008
Hello Matthew! from Elle who met you with the Mumford boys at the Bowery on Saturday night. Great review. Nice bumping into you, and hopefully we’ll meet again at the Bowery soon!
What in the Sam Hill are you on about, Dylan? Now I’m just flummoxed and confused and thinking that Mumford’s a woman and wondering when the hell the viola’s going to come in. Why doesn’t the singer just legally change his name to Matthew S. Davis and have done?
Nice post – I’ve been enjoying listening to these guys as well. They’ve just come back off a tour of North America with Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn and the reviews I read would suggest they’ve made a good impression.
Their performance of Sister on the Black Cab sessions was sweet.
Good things to come I hope.
I think I got inbetween this the last time too. There is a slight Dave Fucking Matthews Band trill in the lead singers voice when he hits the high notes. There is also similarity in the husk. But frankly so many singers share a similarity here and there it seems strange to get hung up of this instance.
Especially because Mumford and Sons are actually quite brilliant.
Sorry, C&B… DC and Matthew have been bickering over on the Live in Edinburgh This Week – 12th October 2008 thread about different singers’ voices, and I thought what DC had to say was equally applicable here.
And I thought it would be funny.
Hello Elle – delighted to have met you and sorry, but I’m no more sober now than I was then.
Ben – what the fuck are you talking about. It’s not the Dave Fucking Matthews Band you dolt, it the Dave Fucking Matthews Fucking Band for crying out loud. And what an enormously important distinction that is, Actually, I rather like the DFMFB, whether or not I’d have slept with a juvenile C&B.
C&B if you are going to persist in this, no-one can help you. It;s just a mental block, like not being amazing at karate, which the rest of us are. Just clench your anus and get over it, man.
You rather like the DFMFB?
Really Matthew. First the ‘From’ incident. And now this.
It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the New Kids review is the most sincere thing you’ve ever written.
DFMFB did a couple of good albums early on, when they had Steve Lillywhite on board. Even Phish did a good album when the had him at the helm.
Great review: stirred me to finally go find their EP. Plus I discovered I get to catch them play this weekend. Double whoo!
Who, the Dave Fucking Matthews Fucking Band?
Oh right, sorry. Have fun – I doubt you’ll regret it.
That’s actually interesting to hear you say that Matthew.
Tell me what you thought of early Hootie & The Blowfish. I’d also be intrigued to hear your opinions on Bruce Hornsby & The Range, and whether you think Cher did a disservice to Nic Cohn’s classic Walking In Memphis.
Do you like Chicago? I like the bit in Peter Cetera’s solo classic The Glory Of Love when he sings
Like a knight in shining armour
From a long time ago…
Wasn’t that song from The Karate Kid soundtrack? I often find myself wondering what knights in armour had to do with karate. What do you think?
I think it would be very hard to do karate in all that armour.
oh my fucking god…..
Now that I’ve finished – ahem – ‘pwning’ (I beleive that would be the correct spelling) Matthew after he revealed his bizarre penchant for American FM-friendly MOR dad-rock -
(How do you feel about Bachman Turner Overdrive, Matthew? Would they they a bit raunchy for you?)
– shall we get back to talking about Mumford & Sons?..
i love Journey and Foreigner….just in case anyone was listening…
Although having said that, it’s not really Matthew’s fault, because C&B started it by banging on about the Dave Fucking Matthews Fucking Band.
Perhaps they’re both just confused, with their strange opinions and fetishes, the poor misguided souls. Guys, you know you can come to me for any help or guidance you may feel you need. My door is always open.
Dave Fucking Matthews indeed.
Dave Fucking Matthews Fucking Band – a couple of good albums.
Hootie & the Doo-Dahs – one good album.
Bruce Hornsby & the Range – a couple of decent albums.
No idea who the rest of that lot are.
Stick that in your pwn sandwich and smoke it.
Counting Crows – two and a half good albums.
Sheryl Crow – one half-good album.
Sheryl Fucking Crow?!!
You’re taking the piss now!
How about Bryan Fucking Adams or Bon Fucking Jovi?!
Christ on a bike!
I hear Daniel O’Donnell’s early bedroom recordings are fucking awesome.
Daniel O’Donnell: pish. Bon Jovi? Bryan Adams? Come on lads. I think we have a theme for this week’s podcast.
Oh oh… is it detestable middle of the road shite that Matthew seems to have an inexplicable penchant for?
i truly love Bon Fucking Jovi……..really….saw them first in 1985 and then must have seen them another dozen or so times over the following 20 years……if you play some Bon fucking Jovi on your podcast (hopefully something from the much maligned 2nd album….a song like In and out of love would do) i will promise to listen to it….cos i’ve never bothered my arse before……
Come on in the water is grand
Believe me, indie-folk (or whatever) has its equivalents.
What, you mean there are a lot of detestable middle of the road indie-folk bands that you like as well?
No, I mean that there are a lot of detestable, middle of the road indie-folk bands that you like.
you funny boys
I know he’s British, but thanks to my pa I’m quite partial to early Chris Rea.
See? Exactly. Get stuck in my lad.
I give up.
Ok, writing down phrases learnt from this wonderful comments section:
“christ on a bike”
“pwn sandwich” … but need definition please
“get stuck in”
And Dylan I thought it was funny, o.k. you are cool now.
No to Dave Fucking Matthews Fucking Band Fucking Phish but fine, I’ll listen to Matthew’s tracks.
Yes agreed to Sheryl Crow’s half album.
Counting Crows, Hootie, and Bruce Hornsby, aye, aye, aye.
And I quite like Cher, for the record. xoxox
Now I don’t know what to think. Newfound respect perhaps?
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1490582/20040826/dave_matthews_band.jhtml?headlines=true
That’s rock ‘n roll, that is.
Covering nature in shit is indeed rock ‘n’ roll. Honestly though, didn’t their mothers teach them any manners?
No fucking way! There’s no way the Dave Fucking Matthews Fucking Band dumped over a third of a ton of poo onto a bunch of tourists!
That’s absolutely fucking brilliant.
Maybe we should change our expletive and start calling them the Dave Shitting Matthews Shitting Band.
How big is the shit-tank on that bus?
There’s quite literally a shit-load of jokes there about the band being full of shit.
Mr. Matthews, sir, would you sign this shit log, please? Those turds will be worth a fortune on eBay someday.
So does DFMFB stand for the Dylan Fucking Matthews Fucking Band, then? Just asking.
Haha! Not posted in ages, but had to – genius Matthew – sorry Dylan!