Sam Fender @ OVO Hydro, Glasgow, 16 Dec

Newcastle's favourite son Sam Fender battles flu and fever to deliver a storming set to an adoring crowd in his second home

Live Review by Logan Walker | 17 Dec 2024
  • Sam Fender

“How you doing Newcastle?”

It’s an interesting opening line from Sam Fender, considering he’s actually on stage in front of some 10,000+ adoring fans or so at Glasgow’s Hydro. The crowd isn’t particularly bothered by the blunder, and the Geordie frontman quickly offers up an explanation that will be a recurring theme throughout the evening. Sam Fender is battling the flu, and has been bedbound for the last couple of days. He says he’ll need help from the audience throughout the set, and from the roar offered back at him, they seem more than happy to oblige.

From the second the opening chords of Dead Boys ring out around the arena, it’s clear to see Fender is an artist who has found his home, and a truly cross-cultural following. Look around and you’ll see a relatively even split of youths in Nike shorts and Stone Island jumpers, your more traditional looking rock fans in band tees and leather jackets, and a fair few who look like they’ve just finished a shift at an accountancy firm.

The hits keep on coming though, and it’s quite heartwarming to see such a mixed crowd united. Fender brings up a fan to the stage, Declan, to play guitar on The Borders, and he receives a hero’s welcome. The first proper lull in the set comes with Nostalgia's Lie, a tune from Fender’s upcoming album People Watching, and while it certainly doesn’t bore the audience, there's a sense some of the momentum has been lost. Combined with Fender’s own anxiety over his flu-affected vocals, it provides an opportunity for some to wander towards the bar.

Fender rallies though, and the middle section of the set is by far the strongest of the night. People Watching, his recently released single, sits comfortably among his other anthems, engineered with huge crowd singalongs in mind. Spice followed up by Howdon Aldi Death Queue gives those inclined an opportunity to mosh, before Fender slows the pace a bit heading towards the end of the show.

Seventeen Going Under is of course the song that many are here for, and there’s a fantastic moment where he steps back and allows the crowd to do the heavy lifting, but it’s testament to Fender’s abilities as a showman that he’s able to top it in the encore. Angel in Lothian is a rare treat that goes down predictably well, before Hypersonic Missiles (accompanied by some pyro and confetti) finally tips the crowd over the edge into delirium. Fender clears his throat and coughs one final time before saying goodbye. You'd be inclined to believe he’s welcome back anytime.


Sam Fender releases People Watching on 21 Feb via Polydor Records

http://samfender.com