Mumford and Sons: Little Lion Men
London act Mumford and Sons were nervous before playing their Saturday night headline slot in King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent at T in the Park. At least, that’s what they told us before launching into triumphant encore The Cave.
Despite being placed above the likes of Scottish favourites Frightened Rabbit and American rockers We are Scientists, and competing with superstars Eminem and The Prodigy for punters, the four-piece had no reason to be worried. By the end of their intense performance to a capacity crowd, there was no doubt these boys were more than deserving of their prestigious slot.
And for a band described as folk, the manic crowd antics I witnessed wouldn’t have seemed out of place in the Slam Tent. Massive hit Little Lion Man ignited frenzied dancing and singing that must have been heard in the campsite.
As well as their hits, the group introduced their audience to some newer material. A much bigger, grander sound characterises the latest songs. A real sense of the epic is shared by all their music but the bar was raised once again on Saturday.
There were smiles a plenty on stage at the crowd’s unprompted, word-perfect accompaniment and a feeling that the band were enjoying themselves at least as much as their fans. They hardly needed to, but Mumford and Sons managed to ingratiate themselves even further by revealing they'd worked out that Scotland had seen them play more than anywhere else in the world, outside their native England: “T in the Park, playing here feels like coming home. Thank you!”
Their recent chart success shows the burgeoning popularity of the band but they truly bring an extra dimension to their live shows. All extremely accomplished musicians in their own right, Mumford and Sons flawlessly reproduced the quality of their album sound, but at the same time fans experienced a much rawer, sincere atmosphere. It was easy to see the blood, sweat and tears pouring into the music, and it was this that penetrated the hearts and souls of all those who were there.
