The Little Lion Men conquer Cape Town

3 Feb 2016

Marcus Mumford, all long legs and charming accent, has disappeared from stage. Cameras follow his leap down to level ground, climb over the barrier and project it on the two big screens that hug the stage. He is now amongst the lucky few who found their way to the front of the non-existent golden circle. Even though I imagine it must take some skill to jump, climb and politely fend off hugs and selfie ops, he never loses a note or beat - testament to the humble and consummate performers that Marcus Mumford and 'his sons' are.

It's been a fairly long time coming for Mumford & Sons and their South African fans to meet on home ground; however meet they did this past weekend and not just once, but three times over. Pretoria and Durban you're in for a treat.

Good day to you fine sirs

And what a meeting it was, the Grand Parade in Cape Town played host and, in a rare phenomenon for Cape Town summer nights, the wind subsided from its usual tornado tunnel temperament. In fact, Friday night was one of those blessed summer nights where the sky is a dusty gold and the air particles seems to softly caress your skin - so balmy. Perfect conditions for a concert courtesy of the Gentleman Of The Road.

Playing a mix from all three full-length albums (however predominantly from the well-loved 'Sigh No More') the band often mentioned how happy and grateful they were to be finally playing in South Africa.

Encore amaze

I Will Wait for You, Roll Away Your Stone, White Blank Page, Dust Bowl Dance and The Cave all received big cheers and much head bopping and foot hopping however it was the lengthy encore where the Mumford magic showed face the most. Appearing back on stage after a brief stint of "We want more!" The band huddled round one mike, under one spotlight. Even if somewhat contrived (really Marcus that's the only mike that is working?) they beautifully captivated the crowd with a pared-down rendition of a few songs. Even jestfully smack-talking a few vocal members in the crowd.

Following this, they see-sawed the tempo with the song that the majority of the crowd was hopefully waiting for. The opening chords of Little Lion Man opened to an appreciative roar. Friday night in Cape Town also saw the live debut of a collaboration with Senegalese artist Baaba Maal - a stirring tribal combination of Africa meets folk and a fitting ending to an entertaining and engaging concert.