The English quartet have had a white-hot run since they formed in 2007 - they’ve recently signed with Island Records, released a debut album that’s as catchy as swine flu, became the talking point at SXSW Festival and gained a hugely loyal following in the process. Now it seems Aussie audiences are just as keen to embrace their folk-pop sensibilities, if their number one slot on the coveted Triple J Hottest 100 is anything to go by!
Hours after their successful Laneway Festival performance in Melbourne, MTV catch up with Mumford to talk Aussie bands, performing in 40 degree heat and how to be “un-pigeonholeable”.
MTV: Your track 'Little Lion Man' just topped the Triple J Hottest 100. How does it feel to have topped the largest music poll in the world by a huge margin?
Mumford: It is a massive privilege. I knew a bit about Triple J, but really we didn't understand how big a thing it was until we got here. It was amazing, just a real privilege, but also completely bizarre for us because we've never been here played here before. We haven't put in the groundwork like we've done back home; now we've got a lot to live up to here because of this!
MTV: So how are the Australian crowds reacting to you?
Mumford: Crowds here have been amazing. Yesterday we were in Melbourne for the Laneway show, and the power cut out... so we had all sorts of technical issues. But those guys just like stood it out in the sweltering hot and they had a great time jumping up and down so it was amazing.
MTV: And how do you find performing in the heat?
Mumford: It's alright actually. We all react differently to it. Marcus [the singer] has got quite a lot of energy to put into the show because he has to like, kick and tam whilst playing guitar. So for him I think it's more of a challenge. But I really like the heat so I understand why you all live here, makes everything easy. Vitamin D...it's only going to fuel the show to be even better, and it's already amazing.
MTV: You were at the SXSW festival last year which by all accounts you were the highlight of - how was that experience?
Mumford: Well I have to correct you there...I think Temper Trap were the highlight. It's crazy, it's completely insane. We might of bitten off more than we could chew. We ended up doing a couple of gigs every day. You can't drive anywhere....all this equipment and we're literally in one place to the next... it was really hot. It was hard work but great fun as well. Temper Trap I think was the only band I got to see. I missed so many great bands I was gutted about. It's great, amazing...the buzz there. And it's all for music so it's great to see people from all over the world coming together and feeding off...just like Laneway as well. It's great.
MTV: There seems to be a movement towards a more folk music at the moment - why do you think that is?
Mumford: I've always loved that music at the folkier end of things for sort of the honest-ness and the simplicity of it all. I think people just want to really hear stuff from the heart, slightly less formulaic factory massive production stuff you know. I don't think there's more or less than there's ever been. It's not really folk music, it's more honest-ness music. So I think honest-ness music's always been there.
MTV: Now that Australia has embraced you - which other artists do you think we should look out for?
Mumford: Middle East. Unbelievable. Absolutely blown us all away. And they're Aussies. Lovely lads as well - great banjo player in that band, much better than our banjo player. Got a guy with a big beard in there as well....it's like Moses. But more importantly they sound really good. It is about looks, don't get me wrong... but ooks aside they're alright.
MTV: Have there been any Aussie bands that influenced your approach to music?
Mumford: I used to listen to Silverchair all the time. Is that really bad? I thought they were amazing. Love ACDC...ACDC have been a massive influence on our band.
MTV: Tell us your plans for the rest of 2010?
Mumford: From here we finish up at Laneway in a week or so and then we're going to LA and we've got a couple of weeks in America. We're going to be in San Francisco and New York doing gigs and then I think we're going to Toronto Canada, and then we go home for the evening and then we're off to Paris to do a festival, and then I think we go to Holland for a day. Then we come back and we tour the UK for a month, to Europe for a month and then we go to America for 5 weeks.
MTV: If you were to sum up your hopes for 2010 in one word what would it be?
Mumford: Bananas. Un-pigeonholeable. I invented that, I reckon it should be a word. It is now, there you go.
MTV: If the internet were to crash tomorrow...would you panic? Or look forward to reviving old school communication?
Mumford: That's a really good question because I like Facebook. I send emails but letters are so much nicer aren't they....receiving a letter. I'd panic a little bit...actually I do fancy Football League and so it would kind of destroy all the hard work I've put in the season because it's all online. But then it would destroy for everyone else so.
Copyright : MTV Australia
