A trip to the iconic Leadmill venue in Sheffield for a sold out and notably first UK solo tour date for Marcus Mumford.
Fresh on the back of his new album ‘Self Titled’ anticipation in the room was notable from the start. Mumford has a huge fan base and the venue could likely have sold double the number of tickets had there been more available space.
Supporting was Chicago Based Monica Martin along with her keyboard player Jake Sherman. With solid musicianship and a fantastic vocal tone, they delivered a laid back set of original songs with the odd cover version. Confident crowd interaction was well received by the Leadmill audience who clearly appreciated honest authenticity and excellent songs. ‘Go Easy, Kid’ stood out for me.
Definitely one to watch, check out Monika’s music on all streaming platforms, with a strong and well deserved endorsement from the headline artist, you won’t be disappointed.
So onto Marcus Mumford, huge success with Mumford and Sons, Marcus has taken the solo path for his latest venture. Taking to the stage initially without his band for a two song acoustic opening, you could hear a pin drop. Another artist with a great vocal tone, which shone through over excellent guitar work. Opening tune of the new album ‘Cannibal’ clearly a heartfelt song, gentle guitar picking, lifting into a sonic wave crescendo of full on band for the final minute.
Taking us through the latest album song by song, Monika Martin was again welcomed to the stage to duet, with an excellent rendition of “Go in Light’
Marcus has charisma in abundance and clearly enjoyed the audience interaction tonight. Moving away from the microphone for a totally unplugged rendition of ‘I Will Wait’, the Leadmill faithful sang every word. A stand out moment, proving that all that really matters in this age of computer based production and auto tune is vocal talent and great songs.
I wasn’t sure what to expect tonight but I came away from this show with a big smile on my face, Marcus is a huge talent and deserves success with his excellent new music.
Check out the album on all streaming platforms, and if you can get a ticket go see him live as, in my opinion, that is really where Mumford shines.
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