Mumford & Sons, Arthur's Day review

While there will be endless arguments about what was the hottest ticket on Arthur’s Day, there is no doubt that the pair of intimate shows by the London folk rockers will come somewhere near at the top of the list.

With literally minutes to set up, following their earlier set at Toner’s on Baggot St., the 'Mums (introduced by an animated Dave Fanning) took to the Whelan's stage just after 10pm to a deafening roar, the like of which has rarely been heard in the normally polite Wexford St. venue.

Mixing tracks from their now very familiar debut, Sigh No More and the brand new album Babel (a new entry at No. 1 in the Irish chart!) it was a night of extreme audience participation to say the least! Earlier, the well up-for-it crowd had been captivated by Scot songstress Amy Macdonald, who impressed everyone with a feisty set that included favourites such as ‘Mr. Rock and Roll’ and ‘This Is The Life’.

Read an indepth review of the Mumford gig, as well as full coverage of the nationwide event (featuring Example, Texas and Primal Scream) in next week's issue of Hot Press.