Mumford & Sons
Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW
Monday, March 17th
The Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall is undeniably one of the best live rooms in the country. The venue, the acoustics, the atmosphere – even on a Monday night, there’s nothing quite like it.
Mumford & Sons are gracing the stage for an exclusive performance in support of their forthcoming album, Rushmere, their first in seven years and first since the departure of guitarist and banjoist Winston Marshall in 2021.
And they set the tone perfectly.
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Just minutes after the scheduled start time, the lights dim and Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane walk out to a huge ovation from the sold-out crowd. They walk to the front of the stage as Mumford picks up an acoustic guitar and they break into an unplugged performance of “Timshel”. It’s immediately clear this is a new chapter for Mumford & Sons and everyone is here for it.
You might think that the exclusive performance would be an acoustic, possibly sombre event, but by the time they break into “Ditmas” everyone is on their feet.
“I know this place is fancy, but you’re still Australians. Don’t pretend you give a fuck!” Mumford says as the crowd can’t decide whether to stay standing or sit back down (we pick the latter).
The band are clearly having the time of their lives, as Lovett comments they can already tell this will be one of the top gigs of their career. As promised, the band share some cuts from the new record, including “Malibu”, “Where It Belongs”, and even the first-ever live performance of “Blood on the Page”, and the crowd eats it up, but the hits are especially where the room lights up.
Mumford even has to stop to contain his laughter while on drums for “Lover of the Light” when a fan behind yells, “Give it to me!” They’re speaking about the drumstick, of course…
After a cracking showing of “Little Lion Man”, the trio exit the stage as the crowd claps, screams, and stomps their feet for the expected encore.
Sure enough, with wine in hand, they return for four more tracks, starting with another unplugged offering, however everyone is so rowdy that Mumford has to ask, “Is everybody comfortable?” They finish with the fan favourite, “I Will Wait”.
Mumford promise they’ll be back in Australia in 2026 after thanking the crowd for a show they won’t forget. The new Mumford & Sons era has begun.
