Sam Fender live in London: Geordie guitar hero shows why stadiums await
On his first of two nights in the capital, the most exciting guitar hero of his generation proves why he's become one of the UK's most thrilling talents
By Nick Reilly
It’s testament to the lofty position held by Sam Fender in modern music that two nights at London’s cavernous O2 Arena can be considered one of his more intimate showings. Rooms like these are on the smaller side of things when a date at London’s former Olympic Stadium and three homecomings at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park are on the horizon for next summer.
But if the first of these London shows is anything to go by, those stadium dates will be a walk in the park. Across two hours, Fender proves that his thrilling music – emotional heartland rock by way of an old soul from a Tyneside fishing town – was always going to end up on this level.
The emotionally charged ‘Dead Boys’, a song about Fender’s friends lost to suicide, packs a punch as an opener, before an early run-through of ‘The Borders’ sees him joined by an awestruck young fan on guitar and an early opportunity for Fender to fully embrace the magic of arena shows.
Even if this is a dress rehearsal of sorts for those bigger shows, the scale of the occasion isn’t lost on Fender and his band either. At one point he stops to explain how, as an ardent James Bond fan, he can’t quite believe he’s playing the venue that Pierce Brosnan memorably rolled off in The World Is Not Enough. At another, he takes a backseat as bandmates Dean Thompson and Joe Atkinson lead a spirited cover of The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ in tribute to the capital.
Elsewhere, the gentle and restrained sound of recently released song ‘Wild Long Lie’ allows Fender to hold an arena crowd in the palm of his hand, while ‘People Watching’ – the title track of his upcoming third album – is wildly welcomed like an old friend despite being little over a month old.
Though Fender has constantly faced comparisons of being Britain’s answer to Bruce Springsteen, there’s moments tonight when he transforms the show into something far more brilliantly feral altogether too. The wild-eyed chaos of ‘Spice’ sees mosh pits ripped open like a gaping chasm, while the unrelenting punk stomp of ‘Howdon Aldi Death Queue’ – the only song about the pandemic that we’ll allow in 2024 – sees him offer up a pyro show that gives Rammstein a run for their money. It’s proof, not that it was ever needed, of Fender’s incredible musical range.
That range is shown too in ‘The Dying Light’ – back at recent shows as a worthy set staple after it was omitted during this tour’s opening night in Dublin. It’s a euphoric, piano-led companion piece that acts as a companion of sorts to ‘Dead Boys’, but instead celebrates the beauty of staying alive. In live shows, it makes for the night’s most emotional moment as the song’s crescendo explodes and ticker tape cannons rain down on 20,000 pairs of teary eyes.
And as things conclude with the one-two punch of ‘Seventeen Going Under’ and ‘Hypersonic Missiles’, it’s met with the kind of euphoria that you’d see down on Worthy Farm – a place where Fender could well be heading next June if frequent speculation is proved correct.
Only time will tell if that’s the case, but what’s clear from tonight is that Fender is capable of slaying the biggest of stages with – to borrow an image from one of his heroes – all the ease of Paul Gascoigne gliding through an opposition defence. Now it’s over to you, Emily Eavis.