Sam Fender is the people’s champion. After being discovered working in his local pub, he’s topped album charts and festival bills with searing guitar anthems about coming of age in Britain. His warm, frustrated songs have earned him the title The Geordie Bruce Springsteen but he’s always done things his own way. On Friday night, Fender played his biggest ever headline gig at London’s Olympic Stadium ahead of a trio of homecoming shows at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. It was also the largest crowd the venue has ever seen, edging out a record previously set in 2023 by R&B megastar The Weeknd. “Bizarre” is how Fender described things onstage.
From the resilient opening track Getting Started to the closing triumph of Hypersonic Missiles, Fender’s lyrics were constantly bellowed back by 82,500 fans of all ages. Those angsty songs that doggedly sniff out hope have made him the voice of several generations.
Backed by a seven-piece band that used everything from harmonica to mandolin and saxophone to elevate his rock & roll tunes, Sam Fender delivered a rowdy 100-minute set with absolute precision. Old favourites Will We Talk? and Get You Down were beefed up without losing any of their snarling urgency. Dead Boys, a fierce, frustrated song about male suicide rates in his hometown, has never felt more powerful while newer tracks from People Watching were clearly written with massive venues in mind.
Compared to other stadium extravaganzas currently taking over the city, Fender’s show was a relatively stripped back affair; there were only a smattering of fireworks and a giant video screen to enhance the gig. But with songs as good as these, who needs light-up wristbands or floating horseshoes?
Without having to worry about costume changes, there was a constant, excited energy throughout the venue as the tunes came thick and fast while Fender embraced the unpredictability of a great rock show. There was a gritty cover of The Clash’s London Calling to honour the milestone gig and Get You Down started with some Queen-inspired call-and-response as Fender found his feet as a stadium-sized star.
He wasn’t one to hog the spotlight though. After her own brilliant support set, Olivia Dean returned to the stage for the gorgeous, playful Rein Me In while the Easington Colliery Brass Band joined Fender to give Remember My Name a cinematic edge. He even pulled 16-year-old fan Charlie from the crowd to play guitar on The Borders, which he nailed. “Takes balls, that,” grinned Fender afterwards.
The rockstar has never been one for big speeches, usually letting his music do the talking. “It’s going to take years for this to actually sink in but I feel like I’m in a fever dream right now,” Fender admitted towards the end of the show. He also made sure to celebrate “real heroes” Doctors Without Borders and the work they’re doing in Gaza, before telling the crowd how they can get help out. “Free Palestine,” he added.
The boisterous Seventeen Going Under, the rowdy punk attack of Howdon Aldi Death Queue and the shiny pop-rock groove of People Watching are what has put Fender in stadiums – big singalong anthems that make the everyday feel extraordinary. But it’s the poignant Spit On You and the lush Crumbling Empire that made the show feel so comfortable. If Glastonbury was happening in 2026, we’d be putting our money on Sam Fender headlining the Pyramid Stage. Instead, we just have to bet on this being the first of many London stadium shows that Sam Fender absolutely bosses.
