Marcus Mumford was more than an onlooker who felt the gut-wrenching pain in June as an entire section of the Grenfell Tower apartments in west London was swallowed in flames. Marcus Mumford was a neighbor. The Mumford and Sons front man lives near the destroyed tower and from the start, he was determined to be more than simply a donor in the relief effort. There were 80 lives lost in the blaze that didn't have to happen, and Marcus Mumford is speaking his mind about the initial response to the disaster, using only the unique and specific kind of description that befits the composer.
Marcus Mumford has been hands-on with efforts to help the affected families all summer, and he and some very familiar athletic friends will be taking the field on September 2 to play a match to leave victims with much more than just good memories.
All set for Game4Grenfell
Mumford and Sons maintains a breakneck touring schedule across the globe that would slaughter most bands, but Marcus Mumford and his band mates somehow always find time to do good in countless places. The quartet is also creating songs for their fourth album in between bookings, festivals, and personal life events. All those duties don’t keep Marcus away from those still hurting from the Grenfell Tower fire. The singer-songwriter recently spoke for the first time with Press Association about the scope of the efforts, saying “we've been spending a lot of time, pretty much every day, down there listening and trying to support” the various groups assisting and survivors whose needs are “quite specific and unique” according to Mumford.
Besides organizing immediate relief funds, one of the ways that Marcus Mumford immediately responded was to start a summer football program for children in the area whose parents needed help with childcare, while the children needed a necessary respite during recovery, which will take much longer than a summer.
In the Game4Grenfell, Marcus Mumford will be joined by stars Les Ferdinand, David Seaman, Oily Murs, Jamie Dorman, Jarvis Cocker, rapper Wretch 22, and singer-songwriter James Bay, among others.
The mix of music and sport should make for a competitive match, and Mumford couldn't be more delighted. “I'm really looking forward to dusting off my boots, nutmegging (passing the ball through the legs of) Ferdinand, and smashing some goals past Seaman,” the singer mused of his Queens Park Rangers competitors.
Slamming the ‘shambolic’ response
Firefighters have concluded that the Grenfell Tower fire now falls under charges for corporate manslaughter. That is sure not to be the only judgment against the construction company and building owners whose cutting corners cost so many lives.
Now that he’s speaking openly, Marcus Mumford isn't holding back about the initial response to the fire and all the lives impacted. “I think everyone knows the response from Government and Council was rubbish and shambolic and didn't do all nearly what it needed to do,” emphasized the artist.
The public's outpouring has been tremendous, with donations still coming. The famous front man admits that his ongoing efforts have meant “more calls with MPs than I ever thought I would have or ever wanted to have” but seeing the combined efforts being put to real purpose in rebuilding lives is a reward in itself.
Letting off a little steam on a grassy field seems a perfect play in helping so many move forward in life.
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