Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man

Mumford and Sons first single ‘Little Lion Man was released in 2009 from their album ‘Sigh No More’. Mumford and Son are an folk indie styled band and portray a unique country focused image, this combination has allowed Mumford and Sons to reach out to fans globally. 

Front man of the band, Marcus Mumford, commented on the song and said: “It’s a very personal story. Suffice to say, it was a situation in my life I wasn't very happy with or proud of…. It’s a conundrum, you don’t want to seem self-indulgent explaining yourself; it’s always awkward. I can’t write lyrics unless I really feel them and mean them, which can sometimes be quite frustrating. It’s quite an aggressive song, a bit more of a punch in the face. It felt like the right song to be the single because it represented the harder, darker side of what we do, and at the same time, the more folksy and punchy side” 

This music video was filmed in London in Wilton’s Music Hall which ages back to the 18th century. The location for this song is important in portraying the meaning to the lyrics. Described as an aggressive song and represents the bands darker side, the location compliments this as the setting is mysterious and almost haunting. However ‘Little Lion Man’ also represents Mumford and Son’s folksy and punchy side, this again is complimented by the setting with the streams of lights from the ceiling which brings the audience and the band away from the darkness. The use of the 18th century hall connotes a rustic and rugged look which helps to address the genre. 

Moving onto looking at the use of styling in this video, the band are dressed appropriately to ‘fit in’ with the genre they’re representing. Their style reflects the traditional country man yet remains modern at the same time. Clothed in smart shirts, waistcoats and straight trousers only using plain colours, the band are well aware of their genre and music. The use of styling is extremely important in being able to address the bands interpretation of the song to an audience. Furthermore the instruments used, such as the banjo, connote the country theme further. 

Throughout the video, the dominating camera shot used is a close up. Each close up has been timed appropriately to the music and is used to display the bands facial expression, singing and them playing the instruments. Going back to the comment from Marcus Mumford, the aggressiveness of the song could be perhaps shown through the harsh and quick strumming actions of the instruments, close ups are then used to emphasis this. Over the shoulder shots are effectively used to give viewers a sense of location and enables them to see the band’s perspective. Along with personal close ups, long shots are used to show the band playing together as one. These beautiful shots give the audience a taste of what the band may be like if they where to see them live. With the singer being in the center  no band member is side lined, as they all have their place in this production.  This video has also been edited effectively, with the cuts being more frequent when the pace of the song gets faster and then the cuts becoming less when the pace of the song gets slower.

Mumford and Son have successfully represented themselves and their single ‘Little Lion Man’ in this video. Their distinctive image and sound will be widely recognised be the public. This research has shown me the importance of detail in conveying the appropriate genre and representing an interpretation of the lyrics to the said song.