Mumford & Sons banjo player leaves band after promoting right-wing writer

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After praising a right-wing author’s book on Antifa, Winston Marshall, guitarist and banjo player for Mumford & Sons, was attacked by critics who accused him of endorsing the far-right. 

Key Players

Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band that has released four studio albums, including “Babel,” for which it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2013.

Winston Marshall Is the former lead guitarist and banjo player for Mumford & Sons.

Andy Ngo is a right-wing author and journalist. He gained popularity in conservative circles after a summer 2019 appearance on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” in which he described injuries he sustained when he was assaulted at a Proud Boys protest in Portland, Ore., blaming Antifa counterprotesters for the incident. After he also spread misinformation about a car accident involving protesters, he was described by Jacobin, a left-wing publication, as “the Most Dangerous Grifter in America.” 

Further Details

Despite its success, Mumford & Sons has faced controversy. 

During the recording sessions for its 2018 album “Delta,” psychologist Jordan Peterson – a popular conservative figure who denounces identity politics — was invited to its studio and appeared in a photo with the band. Although the band was criticized, it defended its right to meet with Peterson, according to Fader.

On March 7, 2021, Marshall tweeted at Ngo, saying “Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man,” referring to Ngo’s book, Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy. 

The tweet drew swift backlash and was quickly deleted, according to The Guardian. Previously, the Los Angeles Times  described Ngo’s work as “supremely dishonest.”

Posting about books is not unusual for Marshall, who spent much of his COVID-19 pandemic downtime reading and tweeting about it. But Marshall said he was startled by the widespread condemnation of his tweet. “It was trending with tens of thousands of angry retweets and comments,” Marshall wrote. “I failed to foresee that my commenting on a book critical of the Far-Left could be interpreted as approval of the equally abhorrent Far-Right.”

On March 10, 2021, Marshall tweeted: “Over the past few days I have come to better understand the pain caused by the book I endorsed. I have offended not only a lot of people I don’t know, but also those closest to me, including my bandmates and for that I am truly sorry. As a result of my actions I am taking time away from the band to examine my blindspots. For now, please know that I realise how my endorsements have the potential to be viewed as approvals of hateful, divisive behaviour. I apologise, as this was not at all my intention.”

Outcome

Marshall’s permanent exit from Mumford & Sons

Marshall decided that a permanent exit from Mumford & Sons was the proper course of action.  “The only way forward for me is to leave the band,” Marshall wrote. “I hope in distancing myself from them I am able to speak my mind without them suffering the consequences.”

Further examination of Free Speech in the arts

Since his departure, Marshall has spoken on a number of podcasts and at forums, detailing the fear he felt. 

At an event by U.K. outlet UnHerd, an online magazine founded by conservative political activist Tim Montgomerie that aims to “push back against the herd mentality with new and bold thinking,” Marshall spoke on his experience. 

“It gets quite scary,” he said, “particularly when your friends don’t know what’s going on. There were threats from radio stations, saying they’re not going to play the band, several artists, some of whom we’ve worked with literally accusing me of endorsing fascism. And so it wasn’t just activists, it was then it felt like the music industry more widely.”

Marshall is now advocating for people to speak out for what they believe in, despite the potential for personal consequences. In a Spectator op-ed published July 8, 2021, he wrote, “I hope more and more people will find the courage to speak the truth as they see it, and that it will be less and less costly to do so.”