Mumford & Sons: We're like a circus

Mumford & Sons says their intimate shows are like the "circus rolling into town".

The British folk band - comprising Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall and Ted Dwane - headlined the closing night of Glastonbury music festival last month.

For their final song, the group invited The Vaccines, Vampire Weekend, The Staves and First Aid Kit on stage.

Ben believes including fellow musicians and fans alike in the shows is what makes them unique.

"Getting everyone up was perfect. Everything we've ever done has been collaborative, and that at Glastonbury just made complete sense," keyboard player Ben revealed in an interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"The thing we're doing with the Stopovers is just a continuation of that. It goes beyond even music. We're collaborating with people, businesses and schools in a way we never thought possible. It has to be in a small place. It's like the circus rolling into town. Again, it's about collaboration, so we'll talk to the people there, making sure there are toilets for everyone, that the shops are stocked, that there's enough for everyone to drink, all sorts."

Ben revealed that the band do think practically as well as creatively when they plan their shows. The musician added: "It's a reactive process to us going there. And ideally, the more remote the better. The one we did in Dungog in Australia, well, that's a town with a population of 3,000, and we took 25,000 people there, so there are logistical things to take into account."

Mumford & Sons have enjoyed huge success with albums Babel and Sigh No More. The band are hoping to start work on their new record next year.

"We have to challenge ourselves musically, that's crucial. We made the mistake with Babel of thinking we were ready to release it when we weren't, so I'm hesitant to announce too much, but we've already got some ideas," Ben explained.

"More than anything, we're incredibly excited about the next chapter and what the third album can be. Sigh No More and Babel are really part one and two of a similar story. The third album can be anything we want it to be."