My son and I ventured into downtown Manhattan to catch Mumfird & Sons play at Le Poisson Rouge located on Bleeker Street. The invite said doors at 7 show at 9 and I expected a line down the block to get in. We really had not planned to try and arrive early but we hit no traffic, found a parking space around the corner with no trouble, and found ourselves inside the lower level of the building shortly after 7. Surprisingly there were only a few people milling around inside so we planted ourselves about 15 feet from the stage dead center and settled in for the show.
Le Poisson Rouge is dimly lit and has a club feel; the venue is intimate to say the least as it seemed to me to be about half the size of the Bowery Ballroom with no balcony. The website says the venue holds 700 standing and from the stage to the back bar was still a great view and very close to the stage.
The band had requested that no cell phones be allowed in the club since they were trying out the “Wilder Mind” material in front of live audiences and, except for one song, the new material had not been released yet. It was actually a pleasure not to be surrounded by people texting and taking video throughout the performance. Other bands should take note; the crowd was fully engaged in the moment and actually conversing with each other (many of the twenty something year olds in the crowd did not even know what time it was without their phones which had been secured at the door for safekeeping).
My wife and son are huge Mumford & Sons fans while I have been just a casual observer of the band to this point. Marcus Mumford clearly gets the lion’s share of the attention and credit for the group’s incredible success thus far, however, Mumford & Sons is truly a BAND; with this new material they clearly intend to get their rock star on. The new music is a combination of hard rock, atmospheric, almost Peter Gabriel like interludes, punk rock, Clash-like bravado. and classic, but heavy, Mumford & Sons music,
The new music rocked and the hour long show of new music was awesome. Marcus Mumford wearing a plain black T shirt and sipping what appeared to be Guinness beer throughout the show did his best rock star moves while bringing his distinctive vocal talents to the “Wilder Mind” materusl.
Mumfird & Sons embarks on their Gentlemen of the Road Stopover festivals starting on June 5th and 6th in Seaside Heights New Jersey. If last night’s warm up is any indication, the band is primed for an auspicious summer.
The Wolf
Rock on
GQ