Mumford & Sons often still conjure images of waistcoats, banjos and the folk revival that erupted in 2009, but tonight at The O2 Arena makes it abundantly clear just how far the band have travelled since then. Years of evolution, upheaval and recalibration sit behind this second of two hometown shows, and while the group now stand as a trio following the departure of Winston Marshall, there is no sense of absence — only renewal. They’ve been away for a while, but as Marcus Mumford promises this evening, they’re very much back, and “not gonna go away for a little while”.
Mumford & Sons @ The O2
The band emerge onto The O2’s vast stage cloaked in darkness, a lone banjo ringing out before Marcus Mumford’s unmistakable voice cuts through the gloom. Run Together, lifted from the forthcoming sixth album Prizefighter, feels instantly familiar yet strikingly new. Mumford, bassist Ted Dwane and keyboardist Ben Lovett are joined by a larger touring ensemble that thickens the sound with brass, guitars and additional percussion, signalling that this is a bigger, bolder Mumford & Sons.
“Hello, we’re Mumford & Sons!” Mumford yells as he crashes into the acoustic intro of Babel, and the arena erupts. “Sing it!” he demands, and 20,000 voices oblige, filling the space from floor to rafters. Beaming, he pauses only briefly to take it in. “It’s good to be home,” he says, surveying a sold-out arena packed to the highest tier.
Introducing Rubber Band Man, Mumford grins: “Got some new songs to play tonight, just put this one out.” As the track slowly builds, the production reveals itself in full — a vast, tiered lighting installation of stars, birds and hearts lowering above the front of the crowd, bathing the arena in warm, theatrical glow.
Mumford & Sons @ The O2
Ever the provocateur, Mumford stirs the room further. “Look, if you’re sitting down, if you’re concerned about the person sitting behind you… fuck ’em!” he laughs. “You can do whatever you like, just don’t be a dickhead.” With that, the opening strums of Little Lion Man ignite the night’s first full-scale eruption. “We didn’t come to fuck around,” he shouts, and the barnstorming anthem lifts the entire arena to its feet.
Hopeless Wanderer and Lover Of The Light keep the momentum surging before the mood shifts with Believe, its slow-burn tension and crashing drums showcasing the band’s rockier Wilder Mind era. “Sorry it took us so long, but fucking hell we’re glad to be back London,” Mumford yells. “And we missed you, and now we’re not gonna go away for a little while.” The guitars snarl into Truth, brass punching through as the crowd roars its approval.
“One of the reasons we don’t want to go anywhere is because we missed ya,” Mumford continues. “Another one is ’cause we spent quite a while writing lots and lotsa songs and we just thought we’d start fucking playing them to you like it’s 2009.” He grins again. “And we made this other record, it’s coming in February, called Prizefighter and we fuckin’ love it. It’s so good to be home… look around us and be like, ‘this is it man, this is it!’ We missed you so much, we love you so much.”
Support act Sierra Ferrell returns to the stage for Here, the first song on Prizefighter, her voice weaving beautifully through the band’s Americana-tinged arrangement. Then, without warning, the band vanish from the stage — only to reappear moments later at the very back of the arena on a small, dimly lit B-stage. “We’ve been around arenas for a while,” Mumford explains, “and this is the end of quite a long tour — they don’t get much better than this one. It’s one of our favourite venues in the whole world, so when we get the opportunity we like to sample different areas of the room.”
Sierra Ferrell @ The O2
Ghosts That We Knew is haunting in this stripped-back setting, Dwane’s upright bass resonating deeply. A tender cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Boxer follows, drawing hushed reverence from the crowd. Reflecting on the moment, Mumford says, “It’s funny playing in London… so many of these songs were written in different corners of this city. This city means a lot to us.” He adds, “What the corners of this city have given us creatively have allowed us to do what we get to do. We love you London.”
After a delicate acoustic Guiding Light, the band return to the main stage for White Blank Page, its raw emotion landing with renewed weight. As Ditmas begins, Mumford takes off again — sprinting into the arena, climbing to the top of the first tier, circling the venue, then plunging back down into the standing crowd before charging through to the stage, tracked by a single spotlight as The O2 reaches fever pitch.
There’s no let-up from there. The Cave turns the arena into a sea of raised phones, Roll Away Your Stone keeps feet stomping, and 2025 album title track Rushmere leans into classic Mumford territory. The main set closes with The Wolf, a curtain of fireworks cascading from the roof toward the stage as the song’s ferocity rattles the building.
Mumford & Sons @ The O2
For the encore, the trio return alone, huddled around a single microphone. “Don’t make me do the tough love thing,” Mumford jokes as a fan shouts their devotion, before an intimate Timshel hushes the room. “Let’s play one we can all sing together,” he says, launching into Awake My Soul, before I Will Wait brings the night to a euphoric, stomping peak.
“We’ve got one more song for ya,” Mumford says, visibly moved. “We’re just unbelievably grateful that we get to do what we do and that you come along and help us out and listen to us. We made this next record and it’s honestly my favourite thing we’ve ever done.” They close with Conversation With My Son (Gangsters & Angels) — a hopeful, heartfelt glimpse of what’s to come.
It feels like both a homecoming and a rebirth, a band reconnecting with its roots while clearly looking ahead with renewed purpose. There’s a sense of gratitude, resilience and hard-earned confidence running through every song, as if the years away have sharpened rather than softened their resolve. If this night is any indication, Mumford & Sons aren’t simply back — they’re stepping into a bold new chapter with clarity and conviction, and London is right there with them, singing every word.
Live review & photography of Mumford & Sons @ The O2 Arena, London by Kalpesh Patel on 11th December 2025.
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