“MUMFORD & SONS: THE HOUSE BAND” // TRIBECA 2026

BY MATEO MORENO

Whether you are a casual fan, a super fan or don’t really know their music at all, I highly recommend giving MUMFORD & SONS: THE HOUSE BAND a shot. As long as you can appreciate the artistry of live music and collaboration, you will have a blast with this music doc. Several documentaries have followed Mumford & Sons in the past (Big Easy Express and The Road to Red Rocks come to mind) but this one is different. This one is following them on their “Railroad Revival Tour” and what makes this one different is the fact that they are literally traveling by train on this tour and inviting a myriad of bands and artists to travel with them to play, culminating in a big, wild show that basically becomes a semi-organized jam session. For each stop, different musicians join them and they learn each other’s songs, learn random covers (seeing Marcus Mumford learn Shania Twain is wild) and all join together on stage and have a blast. Truly, a blast. Some of the line-up joining Mumford & Sons are Madison Cunningham, Darius Rucker, Lucius, Lainey Wilson and Maggie Rogers (among others) and hearing them all jam out together, learning songs together and play off each others energy is simply dynamic.

This isn’t the kind of show that delves deep into the past of band members or how they became who they are. Instead, the tale they tell is the tale of the road, of what it’s like jumping on a train and playing in “super groups” of sorts across America. What’s beautiful about this documentary is how honest it is, warts and all. It shows these incredible moments of collaboration, but it also shows frustrations of rehearsals going badly, of seasoned artists not truly understanding how the, “Show up and trust it’ll work even when it doesn’t feel like it will” mode of working this kind of tour will go. And it’s scary. But each and every time, the actual performances work out. Not only do they work out, but they are fantastic. The connection with each other, the music and the audience is stunning. One of the best things about seeing your favorite artist live is seeing how they often change up your favorite song or do incredible covers. And that’s what makes this doc so incredible. Not only do we get some fantastic behind-the-scenes action and amazing rehearsals, but we also get to hear these stunning new arrangements and voices on tracks we know are brand new. This feels like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of tour, and you get the sense while watching it here that you’ll never see anything quite like this again. For most of us, watching this doc is the closest we’ll come to feeling like we’re part of their merry group of friends, touring around on a train, just to have a damn good time.

GRADE: A

DIRECTED BY Sam Jones FEATURING Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Madison Cummingham, Celisse Henderson, Noah Kahan, Lucius, Nathaniel Rateliff, Maggie Rogers, Darius Rucker, Ketch Secor, Trombone Shorty, Chris Thile, Leif Vollebekk, Lainey Wilson. FEATURED AS PART OF THE 2026 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: https://tribecafilm.com/films/mumford-sons-the-house-band-2026