After two years of waiting due to Covid-19 (sorry to mention it!) and following the success of his second number one album; ‘Seventeen Going Under’, Sam Fender and his band were residents at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace for two massive shows and I was lucky enough to attend the second.
As I got off the train at Alexandra Palace, there was a sea of Newcastle united football shirts which Sam’s army of fans were sporting, and I instantly felt in the presence of an incredible atmosphere as I approached the venue.
The set started with a humorous and unconventional entrance which saw Sam walk on stage to the Star Wars theme ‘Imperial March’ holding a red lightsaber. This warmed the crowd up for Sam’s cheerful and light-hearted rapport that blended his Geordie slang with his confident stage presence.
The band then crashed into the first song on the setlist; ‘Will We Talk’ – a favourite from his debut album ‘Hypersonic Missiles’.
As the crowd rocked along to the vivacious guitars and shimmering synths; energy was injected right from the off. Fittingly, Sam then launched into ‘Getting Started’ – the second track from his incredible second album. The dazzling chords and bright feel exhibited Sam’s optimistic sound and ability to write extremely catchy songs.
Sam’s fans were captivated when he played fan favourite ‘Dead Boys’ early on – A poignant and important moment as the crowd reflected on the lyricism of the song based on the topic of male suicide.
Sam invited fellow artist Rachel Chinouriri on stage to join him on this track and this made for a beautiful delivery. The crowd were silenced by Sam’s powerful guitar melody and his emotive vocals harmonising with Rachel’s.
Sam demonstrated his flexibility as a songwriter with ‘Howdon Aldi Death Que’ which offered a heavier sound and fierce feel. As the crowd danced to the ferocious beats of Drew Michael’s drums, Sam launched into a huge solo on his Fender Jazzmaster guitar and as he jumped around the stage, he embraced the amazing atmosphere.
These shows clearly meant a lot for Sam as he shared the following words with his fans via Instagram –
“The two nights at Ally pally were an absolute dream, thank you so much for singing your hearts out, this has been the best tour of our lives!”
Sam showed his talent for writing singalong stadium ready anthems throughout the show and ‘Saturday’ was no different. Before starting the song, Sam had the crowd belting out the lyrics “If Saturday don’t come soon, I’m gonna loose my mind”. The 10,000 strong crowd adored Sam’s set and sang along word for word throughout.
Gang of Youths provided support for the night and played a wonderful set with their eupeptic, guitar driven indie anthems and frontman David Le’aupepe’s enchanting stage presence.
Sam ended the night with ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ which was the perfect conclusion to an amazing show and as the 10,000 strong crowd flooded out of Alexandra Palace, they were still singing the lyrics.
I was already a huge fan of Sam Fender and this show definitely didn’t disappoint.
Sam showcased his impeccable talent and put on an incredible show that is bound to be happening in stadiums rather than arenas in years to come.
Setlist:
- Imperial March
- Will We Talk?
- Getting Started
- Dead Boys
- All Is On My Side
- Mantra
- The Borders
- Spice
- Howdon Aldi Death Queue
- Spit Of You
- Seventeen Going Under
- Play God
Encore:
- I’m On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)
- Dancing In the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)
- Saturday
- Hypersonic Missiles
Find all of our favourite Sam Fender songs on The Badger Spotify!
