Qulture Magazine

Words: Toni Faulds

Photos: Ryan Buchannan

The night opened with Olivia Dean, who came onto stage with such confidence, she had a great energy coming on stage and managed to maintain that during her show. She opened with her hit song “Nice to each other”. Her voice was rich and soulful, almost reminding me of Adele but with a more upbeat vibe.

Dean was accompanied by an incredible group of musicians which at times almost sounded Motown-like with the amazing brass section backing. Olivia Dean was amazing with the crowd constantly trying to get them involved and moving. This was my first time hearing Olivia Dean, but she was absolutely incredible and I would recommend seeing her to anyone who is interested, especially for being the supporting act she put on an amazing show, which was the perfect way to draw the crowd in before Sam Fender came on.

When Sam Fender finally walked out, the place erupted, Fender opened with his track “Arm’s Length” which had the crowd screaming out the lyrics, he then played his song “Spice” and had flares coming up at the chorus, it was an incredible production which was an atmosphere you’d want to be a part of. The crowd’s response from the first two songs were amazing and made me realize how quickly Fender has become one of Britain’s most popular live acts at the moment and it’s completely understandable to see why, his guitar playing was just phenomenal with catchy riffs throughout that had the crowd moving to the beat.

His hit song “People Watching” turned the field into a choir, voices bouncing back at him so loudly that, at points he seemed to just step back and let the crowd take over. The band behind him were extremely talented with a harmonica player whose solo left me in awe also the saxophone lines added so much texture to the songs leaving them with a sort of Springsteen vibe, however it was the perfect mix of the band getting to show their talents whilst still leaving space for the grit in Fender’s voice to shine through.

The chemistry from Fender and his band was off the charts, constantly smiling and laughing with each other which to me is always a sign that the gig will be good, the people on stage create the mood for the night and if they don’t have good chemistry, then the gig can become awkward but Fender and his band knew what they were doing. The main thing that makes Sam Fender so intriguing to me isn’t just the scale of the songs he plays or the way he plays them, but the way he balances that, with something more grounded. Tracks like “Spit of You” reminded everyone that underneath the festival-headliner superstar is someone still writing from a place of real honesty.

He’s not reinventing the wheel, but he doesn’t need to, as the connection is what counts, and he’s got that 100%. Fender really connected with the crowd when he spoke about his upbringing having lived in the Scottish borders, he spoke about his deep love for Scotland and even gave a tribute to Scottish star “Lewis Capaldi.” Sam Fender brought back out support act Olivia Dean to perform their collaboration song “Rein Me In” this was a great moment, the two of their voices went so well together and they had such a great stage presence with each other, a perfect blend of living in the moment but also performing to a crowd.

Overall, Sam Fender put on an incredible show, and I don’t think there is much he could have done to improve it, I think Sam connects with people so well, due to his deeply emotional songs that clearly come from a place of his working-class struggles, and family relationships which I think is why people can resonate with him so much, however he still put on such a lively, upbeat gig considering the mood of the songs that he sings. This gig was one of my favourites from this year and would definitely return to see him again.