Mumford And Sons’ Marcus Mumford: ”Babel’ is not a statement of Christian faith’

Frontman denies that band's new LP is inspired by his own religious views

Mumford and Sons‘ frontman Marcus Mumford has denied claims that the band’s new album ‘Babel’ is an official statement of their Christian faith.

Speaking to the Big Issue, the singer insisted that the record – which was released earlier this week and looks set to claim the Number One spot in the Official UK Albums Chart this Sunday (September 30) – was “more social than religious, verging on the philosophical”.

Mumford, who also said the LP was “not a statement of faith”, stated: “We don’t feel evangelical about anything. Really. Other than music.”

Advertisement

He also responded to the interviewer’s question about the seeming religious undertones to the lyrics from the album track ‘Whisper In The Dark’ and said: “The lyric you said, ‘I set out to serve the Lord’, no-one realizes it’s pluperfect tense. The lyric is ‘I had set out to serve the Lord’. It’s looking back at a time when that happened.

“I don’t even call myself a Christian,” he added. “Spirituality is the word we engage with more. We’re fans of faith, no religion. We’re just writing songs that ask questions. Sometimes the best way to go about exploring a question, things we wouldn’t necessarily talk about in conversation, is by writing a song.”

‘Babel’ was produced by Arcade Fire/Coldplay collaborator Markus Dravs, who also worked with the band on their first album. The album is on course to become one of the fastest selling albums of the year, fighting off stiff competition from The Killers and Green Day.

Speaking to NME about bagging the Number One slot, multi-instrumentalist Ted Dwane said: “Number Two was the best we got with ‘Sigh No More’ so it would be amazing. Obviously no-one’s going to wish against a Number One record but I know Green Day and Muse have albums out and they’re pretty big hitters. If you told me in the ’90s that I’d be in a chart battle with Green Day, I probably would have just laughed at you.”

Mumford And Sons recently announced a UK and Ireland tour for November. Entitled The Tour Of Two Halves, it sees the band splitting their shows between theatres and arenas.

Mumford and Sons will play:

Advertisement

Torquay Princess Theatre (November 21)
Portsmouth Guildhall (22)
Ipswich Regent Theatre (23)
Dundee Caird Hall (25)
Carlisle Sands Centre (26)
Llandudno Venue Cymru (27)
Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (December 4)
Glasgow SECC (5)
Birmingham LG Arena (7)
Manchester Arena (10)
London O2 Arena (11)
Cardiff CIA (13)
Belfast Odyssey Arena (15)
Dublin O2 (16)

To check the availability of Mumford and Sons tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories