Mumford and Sons biography
Energetic foursome Mumford and Sons had barely been together 6 months when they were asked to play Glastonbury in 2008. The band's debut album Sigh No More rocketed to Number 7 in the UK Album charts with 'Little Lion Man' released as lead single, while they enjoyed success in America and Australia. They're described as having "the magic of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young with the might of Kings Of Leon."
Starting out and the rise to fame
The four young men (Marcus Mumford, Country Winston, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane) from West London were drawn together by their love of country, bluegrass and folk music, as well as unusual instruments like the banjo and mandolin. Rising out of London's folk scene with other artists such as Noah and the Whale, they were catapulted to fame and sell-out shows within months of starting out. After playing impromptu gigs around London and practising their sets on pavements outside of venues, they booked their first official rehearsal together in the late autumn of 2007. Out of that session came their first songs as a band; 'Awake My Soul' and 'White Blank Page.'
Mumford and Sons' first album Sigh No More was produced by none other than Markus Dravs, who is best known for his work with Arcade Fire, Bjork and The Maccabees. Single 'Little Lion Man' peaked at Number 24 in the UK Singles Charts at the end of 2009 and their success in America saw them perform the track on The Late Show with David Letterman.
In a March 2010 interview, Ray Davies announced that Mumford & Sons will appear on his forthcoming collaborations album. Lead singer Marcus confirmed this in an interview the same month, stating, "I am more excited about that than I have been about anything before in my life."
On tour
As soon as they had something to perform, they hit the road and word spread quickly leading to an extensive tour in 2008. Within a year of getting together, they'd played a barge on the Thames, island-hopped across Scotland, rocked Glastonbury and sold out London's Luminaire. But it didn't stop there - they toured America after supporting Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn. In 2009, their London ICA show sold out in 24 hours.
Mumford and Sons kicked off 2010 by hitting the States and playing sold out shows in Pheonix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Dallas before returning to play Glastonbury, T in the Park and Hop Farm festival.
Awards
In February 2011, Mumford & Sons performed 'The Cave' at the Grammy Awards in LA and backed Bob Dylan in his rare appearance at the show, where he sang 'Maggie's Farm.' Mumford & Sons were nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rock Song for 'Little Lion Man,' and although they didn't win, their performances helped boost US sales of their debut album Sigh No More.
Two days after the Grammys, they picked up a BRIT Award for British Album of the Year, and also performed at the ceremony at London's O2 Arena. They spoke to Absolute Radio on the red carpet beforehand, where they revealed they were working on their second album following the success of their debut, which has sold over a million copies in both the U.S and the U.K.
At the end of April 2011, Mumford & Sons kicked off their US tour and it was also announced they'd be performing at Glastonbury in June and at London's Hyde Park in the same month, along with Arcade Fire and The Vaccines.