With Tuts stuffed to the rafters, and a palpable sense of excitement in the air, an empty stage waits for Mumford & Sons. All eyes are on the stage door and as it is teased open a huge cheer erupts, swells and then turns to disappointment and ironic boos when a sole roadie emerges. Glasgow, it seems, has fallen in love.
But let’s take a step back. A proportion of the credit for the high spirits in the crowd must go to support act King Charles. With bags of charisma and a glorious head of hair, Charles himself is an intriguing presence amidst a colourfully dressed band. The set they deliver as is near to perfect as a support set can be. Song after song of real quality sets Tuts toes tapping and draws a huge reaction, the two gorgeous girls in the band also help proceedings along nicely. A band to watch out for.
Glasgow has tasted Mumford and Sons twice before in smaller venues and many of us have waited since April for this postponed gig to go ahead. Perhaps absence makes the heart grow stronger, but when the stage door opens for a second time and the band finally emerge the response is deafening. There’s noticeable surprise from a band who only have three limited edition, self-produced EPs under their belt. The crowd are silenced by the quiet opener, with the trademark four part harmonies a joy to behold, before things build to a bluegrass crescendo.
The straining, distinctive voice of frontman Marcus Mumford would be exciting enough on its own, with songs like ‘White Blank Page’ benefiting from his passionate delivery, however its the moments when all four voices combine that draws shivers of delight. Glorious harmonies with banjo and an upright bass might not seem an obvious recipe for success but the effect is spectacular and songs like ‘Little Lion Man’ draw boisterous singing with each passing chorus.
The performance is a real treat, and the sold outcrowd may well have to make the leap to larger venues to catch the Sons in future. A near riot of noise meets Mumford’s question as to whether people are enjoying themselves before he rubs his ears and declares ‘yea we can kind of tell!’. An encore is demanded more than it’s requested and a new song closes an almost euphoric evening.
Mumford and Sons release their debut album, ‘Sigh No More’ through Gentlemen Of The Road / Island Records on the 5th October 2009. It will be preceded by a new single, ‘Little Lion Man’, on the 28th September.
Pics: Euan Anderson
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