Mumford & Sons say award nominations are ‘good for business’.
Mumford & Sons - image by Ros O'Gorman
The British folk band, fronted by Marcus Mumford, is in the running for six Grammys and four BRIT Awards this year. Guitarist Winston Marshall has spoken about their latest record Babel, which is up for album of the year at the Grammys and was the second fastest selling album in the US in 2012. He realises being recognised by the music industry has paved the way for their global success.
Winston explained the Grammy nominations were ‘a bit mental’ but “good for business”.
“It does a lot for a band, it did a lot for us the first time we did it, it’s really helped our profile in America, so it’s great honour,’ he told the BBC. “I don’t want to be blasé about the honour but it’s not something that we aspired to and ever really want to enjoy too much or dwell on. It’s amazing but we just want to make more music.’
Although the group is grateful for their nominations, Winston admits awards ceremonies can be pretty dull.
However, he does enjoy spotting other stars who attend the events.
“It’s about four hours and you’ve got all these desperate musicians trying to go for a fag and they don’t want you to leave your seats and it’s kind of not fun,” he revealed. “I don’t want to sound spoilt ’cause it’s awesome that we get to enjoy those surreal things but it’s also kind of bizarre, ’cause you’re walking around and Will Smith’s there and Jennifer Lopez.”
Mumford & Sons are set to perform at the glitzy Grammy ceremony on Sunday.
The band has also announced plans for five Gentlemen of the Road Stopover gigs this year, four in North America and one in the UK. They will perform in locations including East Sussex in England, Ontario in Canada and Oklahoma in the US, at venues which are not traditional tour locations.
“The best ones were in the towns which really engaged with it. We bring the bands and they provide all the local food. Last year, in Huddersfield they had local ales and it celebrated all the best things about the town,’ Winston explained.
On the band’s website the music stars revealed they are looking forward to the mini-festivals, which will take place between July and September this year. The shows will feature performances from acts including fun., Alabama Shakes and The Vaccines.
“The spirit of the project remains: a music festival that celebrates local people, food and culture, where everyone pitches in and everybody gets something back,” read a statement.
