Mumford & Sons, HMV Hammersmith Apollo 8/10/10

With support from Matthew & The Atlas, Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit.

(I’m seeing a recurring pattern with the quintessential folk band name here...)

What a year it has been for nu-folk, such a year in fact that a new term to describe the musical genre was coined. This contemporary take on folk has gradually been emerging through London’s music scene and is now a fully fledged part of it. The Communion club night turned record label (co-founded by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons) is largely responsible for this. It has carried many musicians though to mainstream ears, most notably Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale, Alan Pownall and the most ground-breaking of them all, Mumford. It is this multi-instrumental quartet that have had tails wagging for a good three years now and tonight at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo I truly understand why.

Firstly we witness delightful sets from support acts Matthew & The Atlas and Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit, who both surprise me with their stunning vocals and limitless musical ability (particularly Mr Flynn who seems to be able to play every instrument known to man). As I look around the room before the headliners commence, I realise that this may be the most diverse crowd I have ever been a part of. Even a few people surpass middle age (I know this for a fact because my mother was one of them!) She definitely wasn’t alone though and it was great to see people of all ages sharing a passion for this special band.

When Mumford and Sons eventually do take to the stage, the spirits of everyone in the room are instantly lifted. They launch into regular opener ‘Sigh No More’; a song that has gradually become one of my favourites from their debut of the same title. A lively ‘Roll Away Your Stone’ follows, prompting jubilant reactions and it’s soon clear that this hoedown is going to be exuberant. It’s great to see keyboard and piano-accordion player Ben Lovett dance about the stage during this song whenever he is not required instrumentally. During ‘Timshel’ I find myself smitten with guitarist/vocalist Marcus Mumford's gorgeous raspy voice, which in fact sounds just as effortless live as it does on record. But he is given the advantage of a band that can also sing well and their voices provide a great accompaniment on many songs. ‘After The Storm’ makes me realise the true poetic beauty of their lyrics; ‘there will come a time you’ll see, with no more tears, and love will not break your heart but dismiss your fears.’ As my favourite album track it was lovely to hear live in all its poignant glory.

On the night, two untitled new songs are introduced to us and both of these indicate their next record will definitely match and if not succeed the success of their debut. It’s during one of these songs that I realise this band have the potential to be huge and I don’t think it’s going to be long until they’re joining bands such as Arcade Fire at the top of their genre. But the highlight of the show undeniably occurs when they treat us to a charming acoustic performance of ‘Sister’. They each unplug their instruments, walk to the front of the stage and sing in perfect harmony to the stunned, silent crowd. Showmanship is something this band have nailed on the head (probably without even meaning to) and every member excels in brilliance tonight, especially banjo and guitar player Winston Marshall, who looks every bit the rockstar throughout. It’s easy to see why they have attracted such a large audience over the past two years. Yes their music is infectious and it makes you happy when you listen to it, but when you look deeper you can feel a certain passionate sincerity. You only have to look in the face of bassist Ted Dwane, heartfelt as he plucks away at a challenging bass line. Or Ben, eyes closed whilst playing his antique piano; together completely lost in the music. They genuinely appear overwhelmed at the praise and admiration they receive and the reason why is made apparent when they mention that this venue has special memories for them as they all grew up around the corner.

As the encore draws to a close, electric guitar, bass and drums are bought out for an electrifying rendition of ‘Dustbowl Dance’. To conclude they choose crowd favourite ‘The Cave’, which provokes the biggest reaction of the whole night. The last few minutes are truly magical as everyone skips and faultlessly sings the last few bars at the top of their lungs in complete unison. Before I have even had time to think, it’s all over and I realise that I have had a smile permanently fixed on to my face the entire time.

Kings Of Leon, Come Around Sundown Review

The Kings of the south are back with a brand new record and this one’s definitely not another Only By The Night, but is that a bad thing? The finest thing to come out of Tennessee since Jack Daniels, take a bold gamble.

The first teaser I had of Come Around Sundown was back in June when the band played four new songs for the very first time at their headline show in Hyde Park. As soon as I heard the chorus of ‘The Immortals’ drop, I was stunned. Its chirpy introductory guitar riff and anthemic corker of a chorus almost managed to put ‘Use Somebody’ to shame. As one the few songs on the album where the lyrics were actually written before hand, it beams a sense of accomplishment and finding happiness by following your dreams – “the path of greatness it’s at your fingers/go be the one that keeps on fighting” before adding “don’t forget to love ‘fore you’re gone”.

The record is formally begun by ‘The End’, which is confusing for even the brightest of people. With a strong melody and an Editors-esque guitar riff, it seems to pick up where Only By The Night left off. Spirits are uplifted immediately after with ‘Radioactive’, a recycled and restructured melody from the Aha Shake Heartbreak era. It doesn’t surprise me that this was chosen for the first single. ‘Mary’ is a mid-tempo rock n roll gem with a dirty blues bassline straight out of the 60’s. Lyrically, vocalist Caleb cries about his older brother getting married and then throws a few well placed “ha ha ha ha ha’s” in-between. Lead guitarist Matthew’s rocking solo gives it that extra special kick along with the background vocals. ‘Back Down South’ (sometimes referred to as ‘Southbound’) really risks their rock star credentials. This real laid back, gather round the fire, country bumpkin tune follows all the typical conventions. It’s cringe worthy in places but it’s a feel-good song that sees the band rejoicing their roots and influences. They’ve tried to touch on their earlier sound with a more grown up approach but unfortunately it comes across more Billie Ray Cyrus than it probably should. A side of the band we’re not very familiar with is unleashed in ‘Beach Side’, a melody that sounds more like a contemporary indie band than the biggest rock band in the world. But saying that, it’s fresh and summery, thanks to that lap steel guitar making an unexpected appearance.

The next part of the record is nothing short of a masterpiece. ‘Pyro’, ‘The Face’ and ‘The Immortals’ see Kings of Leon in their element, and that element is going to have those stadiums securely booked for years to come. ‘Pyro’ has a heart-rending vulnerability as Caleb sings “Bury all the pictures and tell the kids that I’m ok/ even if I’m forgotten you’ll remember me for a day”. ‘The Face’ is a stunning, poignant power ballad, beautifully structured with Caleb’s raw wail and brutal emotion. The chorus is so big and dreamy that it almost instantly becomes a favourite for emotional movie scenes.

‘No Money’ finally fulfils the desperate longing for a faster pace; it has echoes of ‘Camaro’ and the whole spirit of third record Because Of The Times in general. Bassist Jared brings back that distinguished dirty distorted bass that we loved so much in ‘Black Thumbnail’ and ‘Crawl’. In ‘Pony Up’ we get to hear this slick bass unaided in the introduction, something that has become part of the Kings charm. It is soon followed by Matthew’s spine-tingling riff, proving that the Followills haven’t completely lost their touch. Nathan proves his expertise as a talented drummer as he goes all out and seems to be playing four drum beats at the same time. ‘Birthday’, like ‘Radioactive’, has an uplifting feel thanks to its cheeky chorus and lyrics to match. I don’t think Caleb was far off when he mentioned he thinks ‘girls will like it’ in a 6 Music interview with Steve Lamacq. . ‘Mi-Amigo’ grows on me the more I listen to it (but for some reason that guitar hook and bass line have me convinced it’s going to launch into Elton John’s Benny & The Jets any second). Caleb’s unique vocals are laid bare in the stripped back ‘Pickup Truck’, a rarity but delightful one at that. The band revealed that this track was inspired by Thin Lizzy’s ‘Renegade’ and that comes across quite obviously in the introduction.

It’s clear that this album has influences from all over the place, it doesn’t seem to follow suit of their previous efforts and flow in one particular direction. Similarly to Only By The Night, it is full the brim of mammoth rock melodies but they’ve also thrown in some beach feel indie and feel-good country. Talking of country, this is a dominant theme within the record as it seems to centre on tradition and hometown glory. The video for Radioactive alone gives this away but its lyrical content confirms this further: “It’s in the water, it’s in the story, it’s where you came from”. Similarly, ‘The Face’ hears Caleb bestow ‘I’ll give you Tennessee, the only place to be”.

Individually, the tracks are extremely alluring and I admire them for having the guts to experiment with genres, instruments and melodies at a time when mainstream eyes are watching their every move. It’s certainly going to split the fans from the fakers. The magnitude of Only By The Night was staggering and it seems that this has relaxed any intentions to make this new one actually impress people. Instead they have done what they want and this may have caused it to lack another popular sell out single but that’s what’s unique about it. (Let’s face it though; it will sell out regardless because of their gigantic fan base). By the end of this record, hearts have skipped, toes have tapped and eyes have watered; but there is hardly a moment that really gets your whole body rocking out. This is quite unusual for a Kings of Leon record and I can’t help but yearn for a ‘Four Kicks’, ‘Black Thumbnail’ or heaven forbid another ‘Sex On Fire’. They used to be the rulers of fast-pace rock n roll beasts but this time the only song that comes close is ‘No Money’. Now they have become masters of the anthemic, stadium-sized chorus and my god can they produce a good one. Come Around Sundown is certainly more raw and meatier than Only By The Night and that’ exactly what that record lacked. But for some reason even after all that meat, you are still left not quite fully satisfied.

See this review on Clink: http://clinkmusicmagazine.com/2010/11/23/kings-of-leon-album-review

(photo source: tntmagazine)