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A cold, wet wintery Belfast night saw the warm, endearing, folksy sounds of Mumford & Sons envelope a sold-out Custom House Square on the first night of the Open House Festival.

It's been somewhat of a roller-coaster year for the London four-piece - if roller-coasters only kept going up and up and up. In 2008, Marcus Mumford and his cohorts were playing a tiny midnight gig in the John Hewitt bar. Now, only two years on, they've just completed a marathon 27 festivals across Europe, and on Monday night stepped out in front of a sold-out Belfast audience who, as the night progressed, sang a long, almost word for word to every song on the setlist.

But before Mumford came are two very strong support acts in the form of Andrew Davie and Lissie, both leaving an impression with the growing crowd. Of note was Davie's feel good hit of the summer 'Lie down in blood', which was more up-beat than you'd imagine, and Lissie's Sheryl Crow influenced 'Record Collector'.

Mumford & Sons eased their soggy fans in with the slow burner �Sigh No More' and as it reached its crescendo, the entire tent felt more like a ho-down than a gig. Feet were stomping and the gorgeous starry backdrop was vibrating along with the double bass.

What followed was quite an emotional, blistering gig from a band who seem to have a genuine affinity with Belfast and the festival.

Playing a mixture of old (if you can call it old) and new material, including what MUST be their next single - 'Nothing is written', a dark, moody bluegrass tome - it shows how much the band have matured in the past two years.

But of course it was the big singles which really roused the crowd. �Roll Away Your Stone', �Little Lion Man' and �The Cave' provoked some very stirring sing-a-longs, and equally questionable dancing at the back.

Finishing with a three song encore which included the early tune �Feel The Tide Turning', Marcus apologised to the audience for having to stop. �We have to finish now, because we've run out of songs to play.�

And that really highlights where the boys are at the moment. Their rise to the top has been so sharp, they've barely had any time to write new material. But the rare glimpses we were treated to on that sodden night are evidence that Mumford & Sons have plenty more in their locker.

Keith Anderson