Mumford & Sons At 3Arena – Photos & Review

Mumford and Sons have such a universal appeal, and this was so apparent at the 3Arena on Wednesday night. Groups of friends, couples, and even families with excitable children were all happily bundled inside to await the first of two sell-out shows for the ever popular London visitors.

To coincide with their latest album release, the tour itself is aptly named Wilder Mind, yet their set is jam-packed with material that stems right through their impressive repertoire to ensure any league of fans were in their element as they joined in for singalong anthems such as ‘I Will Wait’ and ‘Babel’. Newer track ‘Monster’ is encased within a beautiful string arrangement and gets the appreciation it deserves, while ‘Lover of the Light’ is a prime example for showcasing their unique harmonising capabilities.

There’s an overwhelming passion there that not only comes across through how they play as a band, but also how they hold themselves on stage. This is evident through how they get completely immersed in the atmosphere and energy of the crowd for ‘Ghosts That We Knew’, or even getting so visibly lost in tracks such as ‘Thistles and Weeds’ that you feel the sincerity and raw quality being reverberated around the room.

The band also re-define the meaning of musical chairs, with every glance on stage introducing a complete re-arrangement in terms of who is playing what and even the inclusion of additional instruments to the mix. This multi instrumentalist approach further shows the versatility to their talents, with each band member progressing their way through guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, strings, and even the banjo at points, which is a guaranteed staple to their distinct sound.

Getting to hear ‘Awake my Soul’ live is not an experience I’ll be forgetting any time soon. Not only did the crowd respond to Marcus Mumford’s call to sing along, where I happened to be sat and several surrounding sections, everyone began to pick up the higher harmony line. So not only were the band in their element for perfectly blending their harmonies, the whole room got involved with it too.

With complete crowd pleasers in the form of ‘The Cave’ and ‘Little Lion Man’ also present and accounted for, the arena was subjected to huge waves of noise and appreciation as they came to closing off their set. Impressive light sequences also accompanied their performance, which was especially evident as they continued into a much sought after encore.

Mumford and Sons say that Ireland is a home away from home, and it’s quite clear that we’re more than happy to welcome them with open arms and claim them as our own. 

Review by Nicole Leggett

Photos by Tudor Marian