The document discusses the visual styles of three bands - Mumford and Sons, Ben Howard, and Two Door Cinema Club - and how their styles relate to and represent their musical genres. It describes elements like their album artwork, stage performances, advertising, and websites, noting vintage and natural imagery for Mumford and Sons and Ben Howard that represents folk and country genres, and simpler, more understated styles for Ben Howard reflecting indie music. Two Door Cinema Club shows some indie and vintage influences along with elements of a rock stage performance.

1. Genre: Folk/Rock/Indie/Country
Mumford and Sons:
The album artwork to the left depicts the band's vintage style.
They often dress in clothes that are reminiscent of the past; i.e.
waistcoats, long jackets, flat caps and army style boots. Their
album artwork (above) is typical of the folk/indie genre because
'folk' items such as horses, old fashioned suitcases, an old style
camera and bunting can be seen - all have connotations of this
genre.
Their staging also reflects this outdated style and could be linked
to a barn-conversion style (above) which links back into the
country genre of music they produce. The back lighting shines
onto the audience, almost reversing the roles and putting them in
the spot light. This is conventional of rock genres. The fairy lights
denote a softer side to their music genre - possibly tying in to the
indie/folk/country aspects. Their acoustic instruments - guitar,
cello, banjo, etc - are expected in the country genre
Their album advertising continues the vintage style by editing
the photos with a sepia/blue hue and by making them look like
polaroid shots. The shots seem to be stuck to the poster using
sellotape, suggesting a more homemade appearance. It's fairly
basic and doesn't have too much detailing which is very much
their style. The band are pictured in fields with the sun shining
and nature all around them - very symbolic of their country/folk
genre the fields link directly with the countryside and country
music.
This screen shot of their website (left) clearly continues their
country theme with the bunting navigation bar and the vintage
photo effects. The layout is basic and could be typical for any of
the mentioned genres/styles. Overall, the country/folk/indie/rock
themes and styles would appeal both to those who already live
in the country and those who like their vintage appearance.

2. Ben Howard:
The album artwork upbove depicts a swimmer in the ocean.
This has no immediate connotations with the genre of the
music, but it could be interpreted that the ocean is quiet a
relaxing – much like his music. Ben often dresses very casually in
jeans and a t-shirt or a checked jacket – his style is very laid
back which reflects his folk/indie music genre.
His staging is very basic and he tends to just have a few spot
lights that point him and the musicians. This, again, reflects the
folk/indie nature of his music and provides a constant theme of
simplicity and through his style. It conveys to the audience that
they should focus on the music instead of the performance
(staging and costume, etc).
His tour advertising is much like Mumford and Son's album
advertisement because Ben is also pictured in a field. Again,
this shows that it's conventional of this genre to have
connotations of the countryside and nature. He's wearing a plain t-
shirt
which
again is deomstrative of his simplicity. His
expression is concentrated and looking
downwards which could be suggesting that
he's concentrating on his music/music
genre.
His website homepage has a looped video
of a swimmer going above and below the
water – like his album artwork. Again, this
reflects the genre by suggesting
calm/tranquil music styles.

3. Two Door Cinema Club:
The album artwork laregely reflects the indie genre due to the blue hue of the photograph being
vintage and the cat being a popular modern day symbol of the indie style. The band have chosen not
to appear on the cover possibly because they're already an
established band and they don't need to appear on the cover to
be recognised.
Their staging is similar to a rock band's because of the glaring
back lighting and the purple light effect. It's fairly simple and the
instruments/band are the main focus on the stage. The band's
style varies but they tend to opt for a smarter jacket with jeans
and a shirt. Their style could be seen as outdated compared to
Ben Howard's but not as outdated as Mumford and Sons'.
Their album advertisement is very similar to their album artwork
but it has a sepia hue to it which suggests a more vintage
appearance. This links to their indie/folk genre because it's often
linked to a more vintage style.
Two Door Cinema Club's
website uses a pastel
colour scheme similar to
Mumford and Sons' one. They have their music video playing
at the header and their music genre can be seen throughout as
a constant theme.