Latitude Festival 2017: Mumford and Sons pull unexpected trick for a gig with a difference

Fans of Mumford and Sons know what to expect from their gigs. In fact, there's not a music lover out there that won't know the British band will do when they get out on stage.

Mumford & Sons close out the Obelisk stage at Latitude on Saturday. Picture: Paul John Bayfield - Credit: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD

For opening song Snake Eyes the quartet stood in their usual line of four, armed with cellos and banjos ready to please an eager crowd.

After rattling through hits Little Lion Man and White Blank Page, of their debut studio album Sigh No More, lead singer Marcus Mumford raced to the drum kit to as he played Lover of the Light from the band's second album Babel.

Having placated the crowd with what we'd come to see, the band then opened the doors to a flood of special guests- all of which entirely lived up to the privilege of sharing the stage with a Glastonbury headlining act.

From Maggie Rogers to Leon Bridges, and Senegal's Baaba Maal who worked on mini album Johannesburg with the band, they all took their turn before joining the stars on stage for a final rendition of the Beatles Friends.

Respect also has to be awarded to the band's lighting manager in spades- as he operated pyrotechnics whilst simultaneously peering around the back of a photographer's head, he told me he'd had eight years of working with the band, he's used to it.