Mum’s the Word with Mumford & Sons at Brooklyn Paramount

Mumford & Sons formed in 2007 in London, England, embracing Americana music and quickly becoming more popular than most American bands of a similar thread. The quartet’s 2009 debut album, Sigh No More, sold more than 3 million copies in the United States alone. Each subsequent album sold fewer copies, however, with the band’s fourth and most recent album, 2018’s Delta, selling 214,000 copies in the U.S. Despite the declining record sales, the band headlined two nights at Madison Square Garden on that Delta tour. Perhaps Mumford & Sons was already becoming a legacy band, wherein the public was more invested in the older songs than in the newer work.

Following the successful Delta concert tour, the members of Mumford & Sons quietly slipped into individual projects. Keyboardist Ben Lovett and his girlfriend became parents in 2021. Guitarist/banjoist Winston Marshall departed the band in 2021 and became a podcaster. Vocalist/guitarist Marcus Mumford released a solo album in 2022. The band played a festival tour in the summer of 2023, although there was no new album to promote.

Mumford & Sons has resurfaced, ending the band’s hiatus from writing and recording new music. Mumford, Lovett and bassist Ted Dwane reunited to record Mumford & Sons’ forthcoming album, Rushmere, the band’s first collection of new music in seven years. To generate public interest in advance of the album’s release, the band’s Tour Before the Tour Tour played smaller venues than on previous tours, with the hint that the group would later launch a tour of larger venues.

Two days before the March 28 release of the Rushmere album, Mumford & Sons closed the Tour Before the Tour Tour at Brooklyn Paramount. The show was ticketed as an 8 p.m. show, but the band came on at 9 p.m., with no support act beforehand. In an unusual design, the staging was partially lit by rows of lightbulbs that stretched from the back of the stage to the back of the audience. Midway through the show, Mumford spoke to the audience about the beauty of the recently restored venue.

Starting with the title track from the Delta album, the trio, accompanied by a banjoist, a drummer and three brass players, featured hits and deep cuts from all four older albums, introduced four new songs, and covered Simon & Garfunkel’s New York-themed “The Boxer.” The venue’s brilliant sound system majestically recaptured the band’s familiar alt-folk-rock sound, a bit stripped back at times, with Mumford’s rich, lilting voice capturing the vibe of each song.

Lovett, Mumford and Dwane comprised the front line along the brightly lit front of the stage. The touring banjoist perhaps also should have been brought to the forefront at times, as his participation was the key to many of the instrumental breaks. Likewise, the brass section frequently gave a sparkling punch to the band’s catalog.

Across 16 songs and an approximately 90-minute performance, Mumford & Sons provided many highlights. The band enthused the fans by performing one of the group’s best-known songs, “Little Lion Man,” near the beginning of the set. Mumford was front and center, as expected, for all but one song; he sang “Lover of the Light” while playing drums. The band extended the chorus of its biggest hit, “I Will Wait,” spontaneously encouraging the audience to dance and sing along; even the fans in the venue’s disabled section were up and grooving to the song. The band rocked “The Wolf,” then without warning waved and walked off the stage, less than an hour into the show. The band returned for a five-song encore, with Lovett, Mumford and Dwane gathering around a single guitar and microphone for “Timshel” and “Ditmas.” For this departure, mum was the word, as the partying audience quieted to hear the core trio’s crisp harmonies.

Especially since the audience waited an hour for the concert to begin, Mumford & Sons’ performance felt a bit short, ending at 10:30 p.m. when other concerts end at 11 p.m. “Believe” and, because the band was in New York City, “Tompkins Square Park” would have been eagerly welcomed by the fans. Nevertheless, Mumford & Sons performed a dynamic set that proved that both the band’s music and the indie-folk-rock genre it embraced still have wings to fly high.

Setlist

1. Rushmere
2. Babel
3. Little Lion Man
4. Lover of the Light
5. Caroline
6. Where It Belongs
7. Ghosts That We Knew
8. Awake My Soul
9. I Will Wait
10. Delta
11. The Wolf

Encore

1. Timshel
2. Ditmas
3. Malibu
4. The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
5. The Cave

***

The Manhattan Beat reports on New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

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