Quotes from Ted Dwane

Because we are four creative people - four writers - there was no way that we were ever going to be satiated doing the same thing over and again. Change was inevitable for us. And a very natural thing.

We have big limitations by not having a drummer. It instantly informs a lot of our musical decisions when it comes to writing. What we end up coming out with is not very cerebral music.

People don't really need to question our sincerity when it comes to our songs.

We started off as Marcus Mumford, which is our singer's name. But then it very quickly became apparent it wasn't really a one-man thing: it was indeed a band. We wanted to give the impression of a family business, and we just liked the ring of Mumford & Sons.

We always try to make each record a snapshot of the band at that time.

When we made the first album, it was meant to be a snapshot of Mumford & Sons in 2009.

Can't cook. Can't, I dunno, do paperwork. I don't know, what else can't we do? I'm not to be trusted with other people's animals.

We never could have foreseen the success of 'Babel.' It's not like banjo records were soaring up the charts, you know.

I was a bass guitarist first before I started playing double bass - and I only started playing it because my teacher said I'd get twice as much work, as there's not enough players out there.

In December 2010, we embarked on a slightly strange tour of India. We played every kind of gig you could imagine over two weeks, from sports bars to hotel bars to a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre.

A lot of the time, if you go into an arena, they're pretty uninspiring. But we try to create an atmosphere.

We don't want to be as big as Oasis!

Whether people jump up and down when they see us or are completely quiet, it just feels really good that they're connecting.

Sticking to our guns creatively is the only way we'll ever survive as a band and be happy.

We really believe in our music, and it's still heartening to know that it's appreciated, and that's what sticks.

Without a drummer, you've got that sort of running, chicken-chasing, rhythmic thing happening with the banjo in the top end - it's what gives our music a lot of its momentum, a lot of its energy.

Most people overcome something terrible at some point in their lives.

As soon as we started playing sports arenas, we thought how great it would be if we could instead play to 25,000 people in our own way - a way we can control it so there's not all kinds of company branding around the show - and do it in a way that celebrates the community.

We never thought we'd be commercially viable, and we were proved wrong.

We don't sing about eating local produce or growing beards or anything like that. It's funny to find yourself in a position where people associate you with things that are completely arbitrary to your songs.