On a cold Saturday night in the height of Storm Darragh, Sam Fender completed his run of two dates at Manchester’s Co-op live in an electric and emotional display.
A short tram ride from the centre, climbing the stairs and moving over the bridge towards the venue, the Co-op live glistens in the cold air. Sam Fender’s name is emblazoned on the side of the building, signposting punters to a night of Geordie wonder.
Indie’s current torchbearers Wunderhorse kick off the night, captivating the crowd with an emphatic performance. Fresh off the back of supporting alternative stalwarts Fontaines D.C. around Europe, Wunderhorse continue to define what it means to be a support act.
Singer Jacob Slater lurches and writhes around the stage, his body pulsing to the beat as the band rip through the set. The track ‘Purple’ is a crowd favourite, with gig goers flung on shoulders as soon as the opening riff is heard.
With guitars flung to the floor, the band sulk off the stage, flanked by the hum of feedback from their discarded instruments.
Looking around, it’s hard to miss the sea of Newcastle United shirts bathing the arena in black and white. A murmur of Geordie accents fills the air, whether genuine or imitated, as the crowd wait in anticipation for the main event.
In response, it seems, the lights dim over the space, as pictures of eyes fill the massive stage screen, a fitting introduction for the highly awaited ‘People Watching’ Tour.
As tensions mount, the band run onto the stage, each waving to the audience as they emerge from the darkness. Sam Fender appears last, to screams from the packed room, as the band begin the sombre and emotional ‘Dead Boys’.
Phones lighten up as the band finish the opening number, a wave of emotion surging from person to person. An energetic “Hello Manchester, how we doing?” cuts this tension like a knife through butter, Fender’s thick Geordie accent slinking around the room with ease.
A fitting beginning to the set, the band continue with ‘Getting Started’, the audience exploding in a swell of energy. Each and every person is moving, choruses are roared as Fender looks out to the mass with charm and disbelief. There is a twinkle in his eye as he plays; an authenticity that is impossible to replicate and immediately captivating.
Closing the song, the crowd roars as Fender invites a punter up on stage to join him on guitar. The boy looks shocked, yet flawlessly executes the set’s third number ‘The Borders’, before being embraced by the band.
Sam Fender’s music and performance is uniquely genuine, with each lyric personal and every gesture and action individual to his own upbringing. He continues to shine as a jewel in the crown of current indie.
The set’s energy climaxes during ‘Spice’ and ‘Howdon Aldi Death Queue’, with Fender encouraging the crowd to move, ordering them to create mosh pits.
The audience is a mass of flailing limbs, heads bob up and down in time to the beat, each adorned with an expression of pure glee. Flames light up the stage, as Fender jerks and dives around the space, always ensuring the crowd are safe and nothing gets out of hand.
The show’s visuals are consistently impressive. A giant screen backs the band, lighting up the faces of adoring punters, whilst pyrotechnics and confetti cannons pepper the crowd with visual delight.
The emotionally charged ‘The Dying Light’ begins the closing section of the set, finding Fender sat behind a lone piano at the rear of the stage. The crowd erupt as a wave of emotion pulses through the venue, watching on as confetti erupts at the climax.
Prefacing it as ‘the song that got us into this mess’, Fender and band dive into the set’s closing number: the anthemic ‘Hypersonic Missiles’. The crowd roars throughout, it’s impossible to get a full view of the stage through a sea of people on shoulders, swaying and crying in turn at the pure elation in the room.
The song’s closing section sees the set’s most powerful moment: the crowd roar ‘woah-oh-oh’, scoring the band’s exit from the stage. Continuing, just as loud, the mass continues, moving out of the venue as the lights flick on.
Back out in the cold, it is clear exactly what Sam Fender means to the people. He continues to be seen as an icon of modern music; unphased by tradition and prepared to keep forging a path to greatness.
With a buzz of emotion and energy still in the air, the crowd amble back to Manchester, soundtracked by the continuation of songs heard just moments before.
Find Sam Fender’s website here, where you can view his upcoming tour dates.
