I have been looking forward to this day for a while, the day when the London Goliaths; Mumford and Sons return to their home shores. Having waited three years to the follow up to Sigh No More, and be given the brilliance of Babel, expectations were definitely sky high for this proud British foursome.
Arriving about half an hour before the doors opened their was a small queue of dedicated fans hoping and praying the rain held off until they went inside. Luckily for us, it did, and upon entering the Guildhall of Portsmouth the crowd were treated to the younger brother of Puff, Piff the Magic Dragon. After strolling onto stage is his trademark dragon costume and accompanied by Mr Piffles the dog. His own unique style of comedy and magic won around the crowd instantaneously and for the next thirty minutes he had every person in stitches of laughter and amazement (even if his chosen member of the audience was beyond help).
After Piff left the stage it was only a short wait for Dawes, a hotly tipped group from California, USA [Editor’s Note – they’re fantastic]. At this point I realised I had clearly underestimated how much I would enjoy this group, and how much support they would get from the crowd. Effortlessly, they pulled the crowd in with pitch perfect vocals and seriously catchy tunes from their two albums. I can honestly say they were fantastic and I will definitely be seeing them again as soon as I can. If you love REM and Delta Spirit think for a mash up of the two and you have Dawes, be sure to check them out here.
After Dawes departed the stage Portsmouth Guildhall was in a buzz of excitement. As Mumford and Sons took to the stage, it was clear this was going to be a night to remember. The ever humble and modest boys from Wimbledon opened up the vocals of every member of audience treating them to both a huge variety of songs from both of their hit albums. With impeccable style and tone, they offered a performance that made everyone take a step back and just marvel at a group who just a few years back performed to about fifty people supporting The Maccabees at Southampton Uni. To everyone’s joy Dawes and Piff were both warmly welcomed back onto stage to perform with them.
The sky is truly the limit for the Mumfords and as they get closer and closer to dominating the world. Gigs like these will be remembered for a long to come. Keep an eye out for Dawes, Piff and Mumford and Sons at all your festivals this year – I cannot recomend them highly enough. Much Love x
PS: A special Thanks to Ruth Johnston for providing all the photography, more images are available here and on her blog.
