When in Nashville.
These days, it seems as if country and folk have never been closer together. In addition to major young stars such as Zach Bryan, Sam Barber, Evan Honer and more rising in the genre with a folk-centric sound, we’ve seen a plethora of major folk artists cross over into the country world as of late. From Noah Kahan collaborating with the likes of Bryan, Avery Anna and more to The Lumineers collaborating with Bryan and being featured on Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl last year, they’ve come rather frequently.
Lately, none other than Mumford & Sons has been the latest folk staple to cross over into country.
In case you’re not familiar with the English folk band, they’ve become one of the pillars of the “stomp clap” folk movement that dominated the 2010s. Scoring early hits with “Little Lion Man,” “The Cave,” “White Blank Page” and most notably, “I Will Wait,” the band has become synonymous with today’s modern folk sound, along with The Lumineers, Gregory Alan Isakov and the Fleet Foxes.
As alluded to earlier, they’ve scored some major country crossovers in 2025, particularly. In August, they collaborated with Lainey Wilson when they brought her out for a surprise performance of Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” at their New Orleans show, along with Molly Tuttle, during their brief, train-hopping Railroad Revival Tour.
Last month, they were featured predominantly during the Grand Ole Opry’s historic, first-ever international show in London at the Royal Albert Hall, along with the likes of Luke Combs, Darius Rucker, Ashley McBryde and more. Serving as a bridge between London and the U.S., frontman, Marcus Mumford, would join Luke Combs for a stellar cover of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” at the event.
Last night, Mumford & Sons made their third country crossover of the year so far, bringing out Wilson once again during a surprise performance at their Nashville show at Bridgestone Arena to perform her breakout 2020 #1 hit, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” and their 2009 hit, “Awake My Soul.”
As for “Things a Man Oughta Know,” it might be my favorite rendition of the song to date. Sharing a single microphone, Mumford and Wilson’s harmonies sound nothing short of incredible here. Couple their harmonies with the gorgeous mandolin and cello in the background, you have yourself one of the intimate performances of the track you’ll ever see.
I never thought I’d say this, but I wouldn’t be opposed to a Mumford & Sons country album at this point. Their stylings this year have simply been that good.
“Things A Man Oughta Know”
@maggie.rainwater Wrapping up a special night in Nashville… @Lainey Wilson joined @Mumford & Sons for a single mic version of “Things a Man Oughta Know” as part of their encore at Bridgestone Arena. They first performed this together on Railroad Revival Tour in New Orleans. ❤️🎶 #mumfordandsons #laineywilson #thingsamanoughtaknow #nashville #bridgestonearena ♬ original sound – Maggie Rainwater
“Awake My Soul”
@the_carlyle_edit @Mumford & Sons @Lainey Wilson my year was made 🫶 #group7 ♬ original sound – The_Carlyle_Edit
Lainey Wilson Tour Dates
October 24—Knoxville, TN—Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center#
October 25—Charlotte, NC—Spectrum Center#
November 7—Tampa, FL—Amalie Arena#
November 8—Orlando, FL—Kia Center#
#with special guests ERNEST and Drake Milligan
