Mumford And Sons Bring Hozier, Aaron Dessner and Sierra Ferrell as Surprise Guests on SNL

mumford and sons returned to Saturday Night Live on Feb. 28, delivering live performances of two songs from their new album Prizefighter and introducing several surprise collaborators. The appearances matter now because the band used the late‑night platform to showcase high‑profile guests, rehearse in public before a world tour and underline the rapid release pace that has produced two albums in under a year.

Mumford And Sons mark fourth SNL appearance

The British trio made their fourth appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, their first since 2018 when they promoted the album Delta. For the Feb. 28 taping they opened with “Rubber Band Man” and followed with the Prizefighter opener “Here, ” presenting both songs with expanded live lineups and unannounced guests.

“Rubber Band Man” features Hozier and Brandi Carlile credit

“Rubber Band Man” opened the set, a track that features Irish singer Hozier and is co‑written by Brandi Carlile. Producer Aaron Dessner joined Mumford And Sons on electric guitar for the number before Hozier emerged from side stage to reprise his guest vocal from the studio version. Because Dessner and Hozier stepped into the live arrangement, the televised performance closely mirrored the record’s collaborative textures.

“Here” includes Chris Stapleton’s part and Sierra Ferrell onstage

The second song, “Here, ” is the opening track on Prizefighter and on record features Chris Stapleton. For the SNL performance Mumford And Sons were joined by Dessner and singer‑songwriter Sierra Ferrell. Stapleton was not present; he was performing roughly two hours away in Uncasville, Ct., the night the band appeared on SNL.

Hozier’s return and Dessner’s role

Hozier’s appearance on SNL was notable in timing: it was his first major onstage outing since he wrapped the Unreal Unearth tour in October 2025. Co‑producer Aaron Dessner not only performed onstage but has been a frequent collaborator with the band, a relationship that Ted Dwane, 41, described as one with a genuine ally. Dwane noted the group met and worked with Dessner while preparing their third record, Wilder Mind, and praised his production contributions for Prizefighter.

Band dynamics, recent releases and a hastily organized warmup

Prizefighter is Mumford And Sons’ second album in less than a year; the record followed Rushmere, which was released last March and was the band’s first as a trio after guitarist and banjoist Winston Marshall left the group in part because of political differences with his bandmates. Several months out from its release, Marcus Mumford, 39, said Prizefighter is his favorite of the group’s albums, calling it the band’s straightest talking record and the closest representation of their essence on record. Ted Dwane’s praise for Dessner and Mumford’s comments about the record underscore why the band leaned into collaborators for the SNL set.

To prepare for the broadcast, Mumford And Sons staged a hastily organized secret show on the Tuesday before SNL at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, a 500‑capacity room. That warmup was performed unamplified and featured a four‑piece string section and extra singers, a setup that likely influenced the textured live arrangements heard on television. The band also made a brief sketch cameo during the show, appearing in a workplace dance sketch and performing a snippet of “Unchained Melody. ”

Tour dates and promotional context

The SNL appearances arrive as Prizefighter has achieved a top 10 debut on Glassnote. The band is gearing up for an extensive world tour that will begin April 24 in Melbourne; they are set to tour Australia and New Zealand in April, then hit North America in June before returning to Europe. Mumford And Sons will be back in the United States through October, including a headline slot at Louisville, Kentucky’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival.

What makes this notable is the combination of strategic guest appearances and a compressed release schedule: bringing Dessner, Hozier and Sierra Ferrell onto a high‑profile live TV slot not only highlighted Prizefighter’s collaborative nature but also provided a live run‑through ahead of an April tour start. The SNL set tied together recent studio work, past lineup changes and immediate touring commitments in a single public moment.