Top Tip for 2009: Mumford & Sons

Mandolins, banjos, waistcoats, male part-harmony, the ability to induce impromptu jigging from twenty paces – Mumford & Sons are ticking all the right new folk boxes. They’ve already released two EPs in the last 12 months and have scheduled an album full of aural treats for 2009. If Laura Marling’s too morbid and Noah and The Whale are too twee, Mumford & Sons are likely to be what you’re looking for. And if you really want to be blown away, catch them live. There’s something that can only be described as hearty about their music – from Marcus’s muscular growl to guitarist Winston’s gyrating to bluegrass. And as 2009 kicks off with loads of hotly tipped female electro-twats on most peoples ones-to-watch lists, this is just what the industry needs: a heart.