Mumford & Sons returned to the stage at Studio 8H on Saturday night for their fourth appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing songs from their recently released album, Prizefighter. The performance was highlighted by a surprise appearance from Irish musician Hozier during the song “Rubber Band Man.”
The folk-rock band, who last appeared on the show in 2018, opened with “Rubber Band Man,” a collaboration that has topped the Adult Alternative Airplay chart for ten weeks, according to Billboard. Hozier joined Mumford & Sons onstage, alongside Aaron Dessner, who co-produced Prizefighter. The band followed with a performance of “Here,” featuring singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell, in place of Chris Stapleton, who appears on the studio recording.
The episode was hosted by Connor Storrie, the 26-year-old Canadian actor known for his role as Shane Hollander in HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry. Storrie’s opening monologue included cameos from members of the U.S. Olympic hockey teams – Jack and Quinn Hughes from the men’s team, and Hilary Knight and Megan Keller from the women’s team. Knight used the opportunity to reference a recent controversy involving former President Trump, stating, “It was gonna be just [the women], but we thought we’d invite the guys too,” a pointed remark following Trump’s comments during a congratulatory call to the men’s team.
The women’s hockey team subsequently declined an invitation to this week’s State of the Union address, citing travel schedules, but accepted an invitation to a party with Flavor Flav in Las Vegas. Storrie’s Heated Rivalry co-star, Hudson Williams, likewise made a cameo appearance in a pre-taped sketch featuring ice skating.
Mumford & Sons also participated in a separate sketch, appearing in an office setting and performing a brief acoustic rendition of “Unchained Melody.” A pre-filmed sketch featuring Veronika Slowikowska and Jane Wickline performing a song about the difficulties of operating car handles in ride-sharing services was cut for time.
Marcus Mumford described Prizefighter as his favorite of the band’s albums, telling People Magazine that it represents a comfortable and honest stage in their career. Bassist Ted Dwane praised Dessner’s production work, calling him “a real ally” and noting the band’s long-standing admiration for The National.
