Here - Mumford And Sons ( with Sierra Ferrell ) - Utilita Arena - Birmingham - 7|12|2025

Back on 9 December 2015, I was lucky enough to see my first Mumford & Sons concert. After years of listening to them—and hearing them played non-stop at work in the kitchen—it sparked something special in me. It gave me the confidence to start seeing more live music as bands toured and opportunities arose to see acts I truly wanted to experience. It took many years to be in a position where I could really do that. That night at the O2 London, I was right up in the gods. I’ll put my hands up and admit it was one of the biggest disappointments of my life. The band were at their peak, and I know that if you were down at the front by the stage it would have been a blast, but where we were—so high up—it felt like we were in a different time zone. We were above the sound, and it was dreadful. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for redemption. British Summer Time, Hyde Park, London—8 July 2016. At the time, BST handed out golden circle wristbands. If you got to Hyde Park early enough, you had the chance to be right up close in that personal, special zone. This wasn’t about VIPs with lots of money—these were true fans. That day was just incredible and left me buzzing for more. With The Very Best and Baaba Maal performing “There Will Be Time,” it was some of the best ten minutes of live music I have ever seen—and most probably ever will. After that, life and time changed. Relationships came and went, friendships came and went, and it wasn’t until 10 June 2019 that I saw them again, this time in Cardiff. The venue was relatively small, and this was one of the only shows on the Delta Tour played on an arena end stage before the retirement of the centre stage setup—which I always thought was a bit odd until I witnessed a performance like this. Then came the retirement of Winston Marshall and the band going quiet. When Marcus Mumford announced his solo album—raw, epic, and full of truth—I was lucky enough to see him perform at Exeter Great Hall, in his “home” town. I was on the barrier, and it was an honour to see him perform solo. It became a fond memory of this raw, lonely direction he had taken. After that, it was another long wait for the next announcement. Eventually, I saw them back as a band at Victorious Festival (UK exclusive). That festival as a whole hooked me. Even though Mumford & Sons weren’t there every year, I’ve been back annually since. But was that it? Would they release more? I’d always told everyone that the next UK tour, I’d go to as many shows as possible—just in case that was it. So when Rushmere was announced and my situation allowed it, I went to as many shows as I physically could while work allowed. This year, I was lucky enough to get tickets to their performance at Kentish Town in February. Sadly, we only had seated tickets, but with delays before the band came on stage, I think I was actually glad we could sit this one out. My favourite song is “Delta,” and the fight that stopped the performance will haunt me forever—it was being played so beautifully. I also managed to get tickets to the Marble Factory in Bristol. This pre-tour, intimate, stripped-back performance absolutely blew me away. I even managed to go twice that night. It was a dream come true. Thank you, Mumford & Sons, for doing little things like this to honour and respect your fans. In May 2025, I went to BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Liverpool. My heart goes out to the city—what happened that day and what followed the next day has gone down in history. By then, Rushmere was in full swing, but there were still hits I wanted to see and film live. When the Rushmere tour tickets went on sale, I really hoped they would change up the setlist slightly night by night, giving us the chance to hear every song on the album. The big ones I want to hear live are “Anchor” and “Surrender.” After BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, the drinking, nightlife, and the parade the following day turned Liverpool into something special. The city was buzzing—busy streets, live music at every iconic venue. We had to come back the next day just to see what was happening. All I can say is: wow. Just wow. It’s a buzz I’ll probably never witness again. We had to leave early because there was no way we could get home in time. As the train departed Liverpool, what was unfolding on the very streets we had just walked through became clear. We were all lucky nobody died. God bless you, Mumford & Sons.