I went to see Sam Fender & saw a masterclass of a performance

Following the release of the universally-acclaimed ‘Seventeen Going Under’ in 2021, Fender was catapulted into superstar stardom. He went onto headline Reading & Leeds in 2023, performed two headline shows at St James’ Park, and even claimed Ivor Novello and Brit Award wins in 2022.

Yet with his third album ‘People Watching’ set to be released in February, performances at Coachella and a series of stadium shows in the UK to come, the once-in-a-generation Geordie’s career looks set to reach new heights in 2025 and a Glastonbury headline spot looks destined to materialise in this humble writer’s opinion.

Before I dive into Fender’s exhilarating performance, how amazing were Wunderhorse? Regarded as one of the UK’s fastest-rising rock bands, the four-piece delivered a performance that justified the hype and showcased their near limitless potential. Their sound is fuelled by catchy riffs, riveting breakdowns and simplistic yet effective chord progressions, that are perfectly accompanied by Jacob Slater’s witty lyricism and impressive vocals that echoes the vocal range of Canadian rock legend Bryan Adams.

On stage, they provided boundless energy as they belted out hits off their latest album ‘Midas’ including the titular track that is fuelled by sharp riffs, the brooding ‘July’, the emotional and Nirvana infused ‘Arizona’ and the pensive and lyrically-sound ‘Silver’ that is about the “ugly side of yourself” all proving to be particularly popular with the Co-Op Live crowd. If you haven’t listened to them, I genuinely recommend checking out their catalogue.

Sufficiently warmed up, not even a 30-minute wait could contain the palpable energy inside the Co-Op Live and as Fender surprisingly opened with the tour debut of ‘Dead Boys’ instead of the usual barn-storming ‘The Kitchen’ you knew it was going to be a masterful display.

As a musician and as a performer Fender wears his influences on his sleeve, and the heartland rock influenced and Springsteen-esque track ‘Getting Started’ gets the audience singing and bouncing before a rendition of the profound and lyrically wonderful ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ track ‘The Borders’.

Whenever Fender tours it’s like he brings a piece of Newcastle with him, and that certainly rang true in Manchester as a large number of fans wore Newcastle United shirts in support of the singer. It’s safe to say seeing so many Newcastle jerseys in a city with two of the biggest football teams in the world is a testament to the following he has built.

With ‘People Watching’ set to be released in two months, Fender provided the audience with a taste of what to expect as he performed the acoustic-fuelled ‘Wild Long Lie’ that is complimented perfectly with a saxophone solo from Johnny ‘Blue Hat’. The comforting ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’ and the delicately-paced ‘Arm’s Length’ follow before the festival-ready ‘People Watching’ drew an electric response from the audience.

As the night unfolded, tracks such as the hell-raising and fiery ‘Spice’ and the rapid punk-infused ‘Howdon Aldi Death Queue’ provide an injection of pace that sparks mosh pits galore before the indie rock & jazz fused ‘Get You Down’ allows Fender’s high tenor voice to shine.

Then there was, the heartfelt ‘Spit of You’ that is about the singer’s relationship with his father before a riveting rendition of the piano-led Springsteen-esque ‘The Dying Light’ before euphoric performances of ‘Seventeen Going Under’ and ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ closed out a thrilling night that further cements Fender’s status as a generational talent.