The announced lineup of the 2015 Reading and Leeds Festivals was a surprise to many, as Mumford and Sons was named the headliner along with Metallica; Royal Blood, Bastille, deadmau5, and Wolf Alice have also been announced as performers. This comes a few weeks after the British folk band was announced as the headliner for the June 11-14, 2015 Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, along with Billy Joel.
In March of 2014, rumors of the band’s demise spread like wildfire when banjo player Winston Marshall told Vulture, “I wish I had something to say about Mumford & Sons. It was a good time… It’s over… Yeah, we had a good time, though, you know. It was good.” The rumors were later botched when Billboard reported that band representatives set the record straight, saying that, “Marshall’s words, which he spouted at a ‘Mistaken for Strangers’ after-party in New York City, were meant in jest.” Lead singer Marcus Mumford went on to state that he jokingly helped circulate rumors of the break-up so that they could have a “big comeback tour year.”
Since September of 2013, after the band’s Babel tour ended in Bonner Springs, Kansas, Mumford and Sons have been on an indefinite break. The jam-packed tour schedule took its toll on the band. In May of 2013, bassist Ted Dwane was diagnosed with an acute subdural hematoma. The band had to cancel three performances in America, including the 2013 Bonnaroo Music Festival, to allow the bassist to fully recover. The band resumed touring three weeks later for their performance at the Glastonbury Festival. Upon the conclusion of the tour, the band took an indefinite break, allowing them to regroup and free themselves of schedules and performances.
December of 2013, Dwane confirmed that the band would be writing new music coming up in February of 2014. Later that year, Ben Lovett confirmed that Mumford and Sons were recording the band’s third studio album at Eastcote Studios in West London, working with Arctic Monkeys and HAIM producer, James Ford, on the album. Though no release dates have been set, the Grammy Award winning band is expected to release their third album early this year.