Mumford And Sons Return to SNL; mumford and sons Play 'Rubber Band Man' and 'Here'
mumford and sons made their fourth appearance on Saturday Night Live on February 28, performing two songs from their new album Prizefighter, which was released February 20. The English folk rock band opened with “Rubber Band Man” and followed with the Prizefighter opener “Here. ”
Studio 8H Return and Surprise
The set marked the band’s first visit to Studio 8H in eight years, their previous appearance coming in 2018 when they promoted the album Delta. The return on February 28 included a surprise guest: Hozier walked out to join the band for “Rubber Band Man, ” a collaboration that has spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. The Studio 8H crowd reacted with clear surprise when Hozier appeared on stage.
Mumford And Sons Open With 'Rubber Band Man'
The performance opened with “Rubber Band Man, ” a song that features Irish musician Hozier and was co-written by Brandi Carlile. Co-producer Aaron Dessner of the National joined the group on stage for the number. The band then performed “Here, ” the opening track to Prizefighter, which features Chris Stapleton; Dessner and singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell joined them for that performance.
Prizefighter and Marcus Mumford's View
Prizefighter was released February 20 and, Marcus Mumford, 39, said several months out from its release that it was his favorite of the group’s albums so far. He described reaching a stage in their careers where they are comfortable in their skin and can speak plainly, saying it is “the straightest talking record” the band has made and that it feels closest to their essence. He added that the record doesn’t feel like it has much edifice and summarized its spirit with the line: “It’s just f—ing us and our mates, and that’s what our band is. ”
Collaborators: Dessner, Hozier, Stapleton
Co-founder and bassist Ted Dwane, 41, praised Aaron Dessner’s production work, saying, “Dessner, he just feels like a real ally. ” Dwane noted that the band had been fans of The National for a long time and that they met and worked with Dessner as they were preparing to make their third record, Wilder Mind. The live SNL segment therefore highlighted a string of collaborators tied to Prizefighter and its live presentation, including Hozier, Dessner, Brandi Carlile as co-writer, Sierra Ferrell and Chris Stapleton.
Touring: April To October Dates
Prizefighter is the band’s second album in less than a year; Rushmere, released last March, was the group’s first record as a trio after guitarist and banjoist Winston Marshall left the band in part due to political differences with his bandmates. Mumford and Sons are scheduled to tour Australia and New Zealand in April before hitting North America in June, then Europe. The band is set to be back in the United States through October and will headline Louisville, Kentucky’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival.
Host, Sketches and Opening Night Details
The February 28 episode was hosted by Connor Storrie, the 26-year-old Canadian actor best known for his role as Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry; it was his SNL debut. During his opening monologue Storrie brought out members of the U. S. women’s Olympic hockey team, who recently won gold, alongside the U. S. men’s squad, playing up the contrast between the women’s recent triumph and the men’s 40-plus year gold medal drought. A late-night sketch filmed on location at the Rink at Rockefeller Center featured an unannounced cameo from Hudson Williams, who plays a rival hockey player alongside Storrie; Williams later returned to Studio 8H to join Storrie in introducing Mumford and Sons for the musical segment.
The band’s set on February 28 highlighted both Prizefighter material and the collaborators who shaped it, presenting a sequence that began with the surprise guest appearance on “Rubber Band Man” and concluded with the album’s opening track “Here. ” Other Prizefighter tracks performed or referenced in the set include “The Banjo Song. ”
All performers, collaborators, ages and dates above reflect the events surrounding the band’s fourth SNL performance and the release and promotion of Prizefighter.
