Rambling into noise.

Sam Fender has had an explosive few years. He’s picked up a multitude of awards from the likes of The BRITs, NME, Rolling Stone and Ivor Novello, and embarked on several huge tours in sold out arenas across the planet. He’s performed in headline slots at Reading, Leeds, Boardmasters, and Finsbury Park, and played a coveted slot on Glastonbury’s infamous Pyramid Stage.

Now, new album People Watching is probably one of the most highly anticipated around right now, especially up in the North East – not helped by the fact that I, along with many others, pre-ordered it almost 18 months ago, on the back of his monumental homecoming St James’ Park shows.

Having taken some well-deserved time out of the spotlight, Fender is ready to make a huge return, with his new album People Watching.

The first single from his new album, of the same name, sounds like it has been plucked straight from a stadium stage. The Springsteen influence is strong (a well-known inspiration to Fender), but it’s also peppered with elements that sound guided by The Killers and from his recent time in the studio with Adam Granduciel, of The War on Drugs. It’s all layered with the brilliant storytelling we’ve come to expect from Sam, to create a driving rock anthem, teasing his epic return.

Sam is no doubt one of the biggest names today in British Music, and he has a huge year ahead of him. His UK tour sold out in minutes, and he later announced three huge shows at St James’ Park, and one at the London Stadium. His growth has steadily but rapidly rocketed; just five years ago he was playing shows at Newcastle’s Boiler Shop and O2 Academy (now NX), and a couple of years before that, The Cluny, which has a capacity just shy of 300.

His recent seismic activity hasn’t been without its critics; many fans are unhappy about ticket prices (particularly for his arena dates), which seem particularly contrasted with Fender’s image of a ‘working class’ local lad from North Shields. It’s difficult to point fingers, without knowing the details and what happens behind the scenes, but I can certainly empathise; Paul Heaton capped recent tickets for his arena shows at £35, so it is clearly possible.

To give credit where it’s due, the tour is supporting grassroots music, with £1 from each ticket donated to cultural organisations in the North East of England. This was announced not long before the UK government officially backed a levy doing just this – urging the live music industry to introduce a levy on all stadium and area concerts, supporting grassroots. This can only be celebrated, and in a way it’s nice to see that Sam’s decision came before this announcement.

After all, he, like essentially all musicians, wouldn’t be where they are without grassroots venues giving them the opportunities to play and develop – prime examples being The Cluny and, more sadly, the much-loved Tynemouth Surf Café, which closed its doors in December 2023. It’s a stark reminder that the challenges faced by grassroots venues and organisations is very real, and that it threatens venues of all shapes and sizes, and who have supported some of the biggest musicians in the world.

So, what’s next? Sam’s tour kicks off this coming Monday, December 2^nd, and takes him around the UK, Europe and North America, before his huge stadium shows in the summer. He’s already been announced for Coachella and Rock Werchter, with surely more to come – the biggest rumour being a Glastonbury headline slot. This would be a monumental landmark moment in his career; it seems a far cry away from his days playing in pubs such as the Low Lights of North Shields (where his first BRIT now resides), yet a fully fitting and deserved achievement.