Love Your Folk
Mumford & Sons are set to be one of the breakthrough bands of 2009 with their accessible brand of indie-folk. With a third EP out in April, a tour underway and festival season awaiting, Lucy Tesco talked to an in-transit Marcus about moustaches and avoiding the “s-word”.
“It’s loads of fun, just like a big party!” breathes an excited Marcus Johnstone, frontman and said ‘Mumford’ in one of the nu-folk scene’s most precious new gems, Mumford & Sons. Hailing from London, the four-piece formed in December 2007, releasing two sold out EPs in 2008 on the hip Chess Club label, and have gathered an already significant fan base which promises to grow further on their current tour. “Our gigs are like conversion gigs. For example, Liverpool: we’d never played there before, but 300 people turned up and were even singing along! It’s probably a first time experience for about ninety percent of the audience in those kind of cases.”
Mumford & Sons established themselves on the London circuit with numerous gigs throughout 2008, performing alongside other acts on the scene, such as Noah & the Whale, Alessi’s Ark and Laura Marling, for whom members of the band used to play. “We all played in bands before we formed Mumford & Sons. I started songwriting at uni and then when I came back to London, we all used to perform at this club called Bosun’s Locker, where Winston [banjo player] used to put nights on. It just got to the point where I thought ‘I’d like to write and perform my own songs’.” Indeed, the quartet have been acknowledged for their lyrical talent. Johnstone, it has been said, writes his songs more often than not on envelopes. Unusual method, but it seems to work. “Yeah, I like doing that a lot. I don’t really ever have paper, ‘cos I just don’t buy it, but I always have envelopes on me.” But if he does the writing, does this mean the band is more of a one-man group? “We all arrange the songs together, choosing the melody. We work on them together, so what you get at the end of the day is something we’ve all had an input in.”
This popular trend of folk is not something the boys have just stumbled into. Each member has always been firmly rooted in a love of music, whether it be jazz, blues or even classical, which means that their sound comes naturally to them. They include a lot of classical instruments which set them apart from their peers such as Noah & the Whale, although the artists are all brought together under this ‘scene’. “We don’t really like the word ‘scene’ that much, as it kind of suggests exclusion.” Family, then? “Yeah! Sick one. We’re one big family. It’s a good term, as we were all friends before we even got into the music. We were all buddies…I guess that sounds a bit hippy, but, yeah, it’s just like having a party with all your friends everywhere you go.”
With the success of their two EPs, fans eagerly await word of an album. “We were thinking of starting to make the album in April, but right now, touring is just so appealing. We’ve just been offered a headline tour in April, so we’ll probably do it.” Any plans for the summer festivals? “Oh yes. Plenty of festivals lined up. I’m personally not the biggest fest-fan, but they should be fun.”
Mumford & Sons join the likes of Florence and the Machine in their almost excessively speedy rise to fame. Surely, being part of a music ‘family’ must create some bed of comfort to help deal with their escalating popularity. “Yeah, I mean it’s all snowballing basically and it’s good to just be going through it all with our mates.” Is that down to the press? “No not really. I mean, I reckon it must mostly be word of mouth. We’re very aware of hype, and don’t really want any unnecessary hype to have to live up to - someone’s just put a sombrero on my head. The driver has a cowboy hat on.” Oh, so hats are the new trend you’ll be pushing? Last time you were here, playing at Komedia, you were sporting a fancy mouser. “Oh yeah! I’m really trying, you know. I had to shave it off, but it’s grown back thicker. We’re all trying to get them. We had this rule, originally, which was ‘no shaving on tour’ but I can’t grow a full beard, so it’s a bit pointless.” Here’s hoping their moustaches grow as smoothly as their success.
www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons
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