September 23, 2012 10:53

Mumford & Sons: 'We're the poor man's version of The Beatles'

Band pay homage to Fab Four in Saturday Night Live skit

Photo: Andrew Whitton/NME

Mumford and Sons' Ben Lovett has said the band are a "poor man's version of The Beatles".

The multi-instrumentalist made the comment during a taping of a Live On Letterman performance at the Ed Sullivan Theatre - named after the presenter whose show kick-started Beatlemania when the Fab Four performed on it – in New York on Friday (September 21).

Although unlike the The Beatles, who had thousands of screaming girls waiting for them outside the studio when they played on the Ed Sullivan Show, Mumford & Sons were greeted by "dudes with beards", reports MTV.

Last night (September 22), Mumford & Sons showcased their new album to millions of American TV viewers when they played on hit comedy show Saturday Night Live. They performed two tracks live, 'I Will Wait' and 'Below My Feet'.

The band also joined in the fun by appearing as a Beatles tribute band called 'Hey Dude' at a bachelor party, during a skit featuring SNL guest host Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

On Friday, Lovett spoke out against anyone who is cynical about new album 'Babel' ahead of its release, stating: "The cynics can just all fuck off. We think this new record will attract a different audience, which is really exciting. And broaden people's view of us." Singer Marcus Mumford, meanwhile, said that he believed 'Babel' was "a mixture" compared to their hugely successful debut 'Sigh No More' and he saw it more as "an advert for their live shows".

'Babel' has been produced by Arcade Fire/Coldplay collaborator Markus Dravs, who also worked with the band on their first album. Mumford And Sons headline the iTunes Festival at London's Roundhouse on September 24.

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