Mumford and Sons raised a few eyebrows earlier this year when they revealed they had traded in their banjos for Fender Jaguars. Marcus Mumford and his merry troupe had charmed their way into our hearts with their four part harmonies and joyful acoustic guitars on their debut album Sigh No More. Lead single Little Lion Man reigned supreme at the top of triple J’s Hottest 100 in 2009, the trembling chorus etching its way into the mind of every J’s listener that year.
Who’d have thunk that six years later the band’s sound would take such a 180? And for what it’s worth, it works so well that any notions of Mumford and Sons once being a folk band have been blown away completely.
With their new rock swagger firmly established, Mumford and Sons have set their eyes on Sydney for a very special Gentlemen of the Road event.
Mumford and Sons 2.0 haven’t looked back since, the band releasing their third album Wilder Mind this past May and now making their way to our Australian shores in November with shows set for Brisbane and Melbourne. But the highlight of their Australian tour will be the very special Gentlemen of the Road event in Sydney.
For those unfamiliar, Gentlemen of the Road (in addition to being the band’s own record label) is a series of global stopover festivals curated by the band designed to be a celebration of unique towns they visit in their native UK and in the US. The Sons will bring the festival gear complete with some hand picked bands, and the rest is left up to the town to fill with their own distinct culture.
While the Sydney event won’t be the traditional stopover festival the band have done in their past UK and US tours, this one off Gentlemen of the Road show is bound to be just as special. Not only will we get a taste of Mumford and Sons’ edgier rock attitude, but they’ve curated an experience featuring stellar international guests and celebrate some of the best Aussie acts on the scene.
Coming along for the ride will be their countrymen Jake Bugg and The Vaccines, with Baltimore three piece Future Islands making the trip. On the Aussie front Jungle Giants, Meg Mac and Art of Sleeping round out the day’s stellar line-up.
Tickets for Mumford and Sons’ Australian tour and their Gentlemen of the Road event go on sale to the general public 9am Wednesday July 8 through Secret Sounds. You can access pre-sale tickets on Tuesday July 7 form 11am to 8am the following day, just sign up to the Secret Sounds mailing list to secure your spot.
November 7th – Riverstage, Brisbane (with The Vaccines and Meg Mac),
November 12th – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (with Future Islands and The Vaccines)
November 14th – Gentlemen of the Road event, The Domain, Sydney
