It’s official, Mumford & Sons have a love affair with Australia, having returned to the Harbour City last year for an intimate gig at the Sydney Opera House, which felt more like a bucket list item for them as much as anything else, before returning for a full scale arena show tour this year to promote their latest album Prizefighter. Qudos Bank Arena was packed to the brim with 21,000 people in attendance and not a spare seat in sight, including every side view seat and every seat up at the top of the bleachers, which is not something I can say for many shows (even a number that are billed as sold out did not feel as full as this). Most of the audience also got in early to see Hudson Freeman and Folk Bitch Trio open up for Mumford & Sons, with Folk Bitch Trio in particular doing a fantastic job of showing off beautiful harmonies and vocals with a clear and crisp sound which complemented the style of Mumford & Sons very well. It’s not surprising that the English band chose to take them on tour and having started in the pubs of Melbourne, it’s a great story that this exceptional Australian band is touring around the world with such a beloved act.

When Mumford & Sons took to the stage, there was very little fanfare, with no massive video montage or huge set as they simply walked onto the stage to huge applause. Often a lack of set can feel quite cheap and tacky but in this case it felt very elegant and very intentional, with the set pieces fitting the branding and vibe of the band. After a lively start, the group made a curious decision to play “I Will Wait” third in the set, which had the benefit of giving the crowd a lot of energy early but it also meant there wasn’t much scope for the set to keep building with such a high so early. Of course, the band, led by Marcus Mumford, performed the song extremely well and with great passion, and the audience responded in turn, bouncing up and down as a sea of camera phones illuminated the very packed mosh pit but after “White Blank Page”, which immediately followed, it did feel like the momentum of the concert stalled a little as the band moved into a somewhat one pace stretch.

“We don’t know when we will be back so we don’t want to f**k around,” said Mumford. 

There was some intrigue brought back when the band brought out Gretta Ray (who seems to be besties with all of the English acts, having joined Maisie Peters on stage earlier in the year at the Enmore Theatre) for a duet of “Badlands”, which Gracie Abrams performed with the English band on their record. It was a tender and fragile moment that provided a nice contrast to the rest of the set. As the band played some of their new material, the audience listened intently as Mumford showed off his fantastic voice before the energy picked up with “Ditmas”, where the frontman ran through almost the whole of the inner bowl of Qudos Bank Arena, giving fans a huge boost and lifting the energy in the room. “The Cave” had the whole crowd singing along before the band moved to the B stage for a bluegrass version of “Timshel”, where Mumford instructed the audience to stay quiet and listen to their harmonies as the whole group stood around a single microphone to show off the depth of their skills. This was a nice bit of variety and created a moment where the whole crowd took notice of just how strong Mumford’s voice is, along with the harmonies and musicality of the rest of the group.

The band welcomed back Folk Bitch Trio to perform “Rubber Band Man”, which was another beautiful moment, with the similarities between the two groups becoming increasingly clear as they sang together and shared the stage with rich harmonies, before Mumford & Sons moved back to the main stage for the powerful “The Banjo Song” and their smash hit “Little Lion Man”, which had the audience on a high before they finally ended with “Conversation with My Son”. There wasn’t a great deal of emotional gradation in this show except for on the B stage, with the flow somewhat stunted by the early energy, which didn’t quite carry through the rest of the set, as the similar vibe across songs began to feel a little plodding over the nearly two hour runtime. With that said, the musicality meant that Mumford & Sons fans were having a great time as they worked through their catalogue, though a little more variety or spontaneity might not have gone amiss.

Overall, this was a solid concert that played to the strengths of Mumford & Sons and showcased their best material, with their biggest hits drawing huge cheers and energy in a completely packed arena. While a little more variety would have been welcome and it sometimes felt as though the band’s sound had not quite evolved in the way one might have expected, it was still an enjoyable experience, with the band’s vocals and musicality carrying the show. The band promised it would not be long before they returned to Australia and given their love affair with the nation and the nation’s love affair in return, it seems likely they will be back at Qudos Bank Arena in the not so distant future.

Rating: ★★★★

Mumford and Sons – Qudos Bank Arena – 29 April 2026