It just had that vibe. That feeling that something special was about to unfold. Mumford & Sons played a packed out Oxford Art Factory earlier in the year. Tonight they had returned to a bigger and more accommodating venue in The Enmore. A sold out crowd were treated to one of the best gigs I have seen at The Enmore.
Opening with Sigh No More the crowd sang, stomped and danced along to every song. Eventually playing every track of their huge debut album the boys played with heart, passion and soul; the basis of any half decent folk-alt-country-rock band.
The group used the extended set to road test some new songs, including one they wrote in Melbourne the other day, and believe me they were brilliant. I found myself wanting to sing along despite not knowing words, but they had that familiar Mumford sound that we have become to love.
Songs like Little Lion Man, Blank White Page and The Cave were crowd favourites, but there wasn’t a low point to their set. Whether it was the backstage viewers like members from Boy & Bear coming on to dance or the various band members taking turns to be the drummer, the guys played a flawless set. The standing ovation from the crowd was fitting to such a good gig. Even punters were still singing along as we walked down the road in Newtown; that’s the effect Mumford & Sons had tonight.
It was certainly one of those ‘had to be there’ shows.
