Gretta Ray joins Mumford & Sons at Qudos Bank Arena
Mumford & Sons turned qudos bank arena in Sydney into a multi-act live show on 29 April, bringing out Gretta Ray for Badlands during a set that moved from arena-scale singalongs to a tighter B-stage segment. The 21,000-person venue also hosted Hudson Freeman and Folk Bitch Trio before the headliners closed with Little Lion Man.
Gretta Ray on Badlands
Gretta Ray joined Badlands to sing Gracie Abrams’ part, the clearest surprise in a set that already had momentum from Here, I Will Wait, White Blank Page, Icarus and The Cave. Marcus Mumford also asked the crowd to stand and dance during I Will Wait, then pushed the room toward a more physical response than a standard seated arena show.
Marcus Mumford’s line during the closer made the placement obvious: “If this song belongs anywhere, it's Sydney, Australia.” That was said as Little Lion Man landed as a banjo-led finish, giving the night a local reference point without changing the band’s core material.
Hudson Freeman and Folk Bitch Trio
Hudson Freeman and Australia’s own Folk Bitch Trio handled support, which matters because the bill mixed an overseas headliner with local acts rather than treating the night as a pure nostalgia stop. Folk Bitch Trio also returned inside the main set, adding feathery support vocals on Rubber Man when Mumford, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane moved to the B-Stage for Timshel, I’ll Tell You Everything, Rubber Man and Ghosts That We Knew.
That B-stage stretch changed the shape of the show. Instead of staying fixed in front of a full arena, the trio pulled the performance into a smaller frame, and Marcus Mumford even moved through the crowd during Ditmas, a practical reminder that the set was built to keep a 21,000-person room engaged from multiple angles.
Qudos Bank Arena on 29 April
Johnny Cash’s version of Ring Of Fire played before Mumford & Sons took the stage, setting a country-leaning tone before the band’s own material began. The sequence matters for anyone reading the room: support acts, a surprise guest, crowd movement and a B-stage run all happened in one Sydney date, not across several nights.
For fans who were at qudos bank arena, the useful takeaway is simple: the show was not just a standard headline set. It layered Gretta Ray, local support, a crowd walk, and a final run that ended with Little Lion Man, making 29 April the night’s entire story rather than one song or one cameo.
