sam fender is the boss

Geordie superstar Sam Fender released his third album, People Watching, on Friday (21st February). The album has been a hit with critics and fans, many citing it is the best one yet. That’s a big statement considering the anthems produced on Hypersonic Missiles and Seventeen Going Under. There is a seismic shift in sounds with the new album including the female vocals of Brooke Bentham who recently joined the band.

I’m not going to pretend to be a music critic and delve into the technicalities of music, all I can say is that I love the songs, they make me feel every emotion and that is all you can ask for from the album of your favourite artist.

I had the pleasure of attending the People Watching tour in December 2024 in Dublin’s 3 Arena. The thing I love about Sam Fender is how he makes an arena tour feel like you’re watching him in your local pub. He stopped mid-song to tune his guitar and apologise to the crowd because people paid good money to be there and it had to be right. The concert was perfect (I will let him off for not playing the Dying Light) but at least I got to experience the beauty of Spit of You again.

The online chatter has been praising the new songs especially Remember My Name and People Watching. I have seen a lot of TikTok’s where people are comparing Fender to the one and only Bruce Springsteen. Some in a positive light and other’s not so much. The song from People Watching that has the most similarities in style to Springsteen is Crumbling Empire and I don’t see how that is a bad thing.

Springsteen’s lyrics are those of realism and hardships, Fender is one of the only artists nowadays producing lyrics that actually mean something to working class people. He recognises the plight and the hardship of being a normal person from a lower socio-economic background. He also recognises he isn’t in this cohort anymore and the implications this has on his life experience.

I would much rather listen to Sam Fender sing about the privatisation of the electricity board and homelessness in the United Kingdom than another generic pop song (I’m looking at you Selena Gomez, benny blanco and Gracie Abrams).