Latest news with #CrumblingEmpire
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Sam Fender, London Stadium: the biggest gig of the pin-up protest star's career
There was a moment, 40 minutes into the biggest concert of Sam Fender's career, when you wondered what on earth must have been going through the 31-year-old's head. Seven years ago the musician from North Shields was on the dole. But here he was, with three number one albums of socially-conscious heartland rock under his belt, standing centre-stage in the stadium where the London 2012 Olympics took place in front of 82,500 adoring fans under clear June skies. Yet the song he was singing was called Crumbling Empire. It addressed poverty under Newcastle's Byker Bridge amid more general comments about Britain's post-industrial decline. 'I don't wear the shoes I used to walk in,' Fender sang. Like much of his recent album People Watching (the best-selling British album of the year so far), Crumbling Empire deals with the distance that success has put between Fender and the life he once knew. So what was it like up for him there? We soon found out. 'I feel like I'm in a fever dream,' he said. Crucially, the ever-growing chasm between what Fender sings about and the lustre of the venues in which he sings it doesn't matter a jot to fans. Like Bruce Springsteen before him – a man to whom Fender is regularly compared – his appeal lies in the fact that success and compassion needn't be mutually exclusive. And here that mixture was boosted to whizz-bang stadium-sized proportions, with pyrotechnics, fireworks and confetti galore. It was the softer songs like Arms Length and Rein Me In, sung here with Olivia Dean, that carried the first half of this concert (muddy sound notwithstanding). These, and the celebratory glow of myriad Newcastle United fans, still basking in their team's recent Carabao Cup victory at Wembley. The Toon Army at next week's trio of sold out hometown mega-shows in St James's Park – the club's home turf – will rightly go bananas. The gig's second half was blistering. People Watching (the song) and a cover of The Clash's London Calling were crowd-pleasing belters. Meanwhile, Seventeen Going Under cemented its status as this century's Born to Run, if that song was stripped of all optimism and recast in the North-East. The highlight was Remember My Name, a stirring ballad dedicated to Fender's late grandparents. He sung it alone backed by the Easington Colliery Brass Band. That took almighty cajones. Respect, Sam. It had this cynical, tired, half-Northumbrian critic reaching for the Kleenex. Fender ended with what is fast becoming this summer's cri de coeur for rock stars: 'Free Palestine'. To be honest it felt a bit tokenistic amid the late-show revelry. But after Wembley, the Geordies are clearly on a roll in London. Fender just notched up another very memorable victory.
Time Out
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Sam Fender at London Stadium: start time, tickets, potential setlist and what you need to know
It's time – Sam Fender is coming back to London with for one of his biggest shows yet. The People Watching tour at London Stadium will be the Geordie singer's first ever stadium show in the capital, but experts reckon he's more than up for the job. When Sam played two nights at the O2 Arena back in December, Rolling Stone said: 'If the first of these London shows is anything to go by, those stadium dates will be a walk in the park. Across two hours, Fender proves that his thrilling music – emotional heartland rock by way of an old soul from a Tyneside fishing town – was always going to end up on this level.' Here's all the information you need if you're heading to see Sam Fender at London Stadium this week (and if you want to bag some last minute tickets). When is Sam Fender playing London Stadium? Sam Fender will be performing at London Stadium tomorrow night (Friday, June 6). What time do doors open? Fans can start entering the stadium from 5pm. What time will Sam Fender come on stage? London Stadium hasn't confirmed exactly when Sam will kick off his performance, but based on previous shows, you can expect him to appear some time between 7.30pm and 8.30pm. What's the seating plan? Here's a look at the set-up inside the stadium for Sam Fender's show. Who's supporting Sam Fender? Two former Time Out cover stars will be opening up the show – CMAT and Olivia Dean. You can expect their sets to start from 6.15pm. Setlist Based on Sam's People Watching tour dates so far, his order of order of songs is likely to go something like this: Dead Boys Getting Started Arm's Length Crumbling Empire People Watching Will We Talk? Tyrants Nostalgia's Lie The Borders Howdon Aldi Death Queue Spit of You Little Bit Closer Seventeen Going Under Something Heavy Hypersonic Missiles Can you still get tickets? You're in luck! There are a number of resale tickets up for grabs on Ticketmaster from £57.70. What's London Stadium's bag policy? As with most festivals and music events, audience members aren't allowed to bring in a bag any bigger than A4. Banned items While you can't bring in any of your own food or drink, there'll be free water filling points dotted about so you can bring in an empty plastic bottle in with you. Here's the full list of stuff that's not permitted inside London Stadium: Professional audio or video recording devices - (including cameras, video or audio recorders and iPad's / tablets) Weapons Coolers Glass Metal drinking bottles Selfie sticks Cans Fireworks Large chains or spiked bracelets Wallet Chains Backpacks Waist Packs Food Laser pens Weather forecast Although it's set to rain for large parts of the morning and afternoon on Friday, it should all have cleared up by the time the London Stadium doors open. The temperature from 5pm will be around 16C-19C.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Music Review: Sam Fender's pop-rock soars on his third album, 'People Watching'
NEW YORK (AP) — As its title 'People Watching' suggests, Sam Fender spends the bulk of his third studio album putting his observations about others — their histories, their futures, their troubles, their hopes — to music. The concept is simple. The results are anything but. Written by the English singer-songwriter over two years, the album's 11 pop-rock tracks reveal a tender, strong-willed and observant lyricist. They also show off Fender's skills as a musician and co-producer, capable of tying together instrumental threads into rich productions that enliven his stories. None of that is news to his fans, who have already sold-out tour dates ahead of the album's release. Like the best of his previous releases, the project's titular opening track is anthemic and robust. Its Springsteen-style makes you want to move, or at least, shout along with Fender. That energy is achieved through a fast-paced and meticulously arranged production: Guitar and piano are layered over strings. Metallic cymbals punctuate the chorus, cut by a saxophone solo. The drumbeat is steady but quick, standing in for Fender's racing heart. 'I can't stop running,' he sings, 'I see the whole town fall." That town, his home of North Shields, England, serves as inspiration throughout the album. On 'Crumbling Empire,' atop grooving electric guitar, Fender appears to describe his family and the systems they were failed by: 'My mother delivered most of the kids in this town / My stepdad drove in a tank for the crown," before summarizing his album in a few lines: 'I don't wear the shoes I used to walk in / But I can't help but thinking where they'd take me / In this crumbling empire.' He speaks of specific struggles, but his observations are built upon the understanding that pain is always universal. On 'Something Heavy,' he offers reprieve: 'Everybody here's got, something heavy / I'll shoulder it a while if you just want a night off.' The album closes with 'Remember My Name,' a tribute to Fender's late grandparents. It is written from the perspective of his grandfather as he cared for Fender's grandmother, who had dementia. Absent the upbeat guitars and drum beats that accompany much of the album, Fender's vocals are strikingly crisp. Featured instead is the muffled, nostalgic sound of horns, performed by Northeast England's Easington Colliery Band. The song's chorus is tight but powerful. 'Humor me / make my day / I'll tell you stories / kiss your face / and I'll pray / you'll remember / my name," Fender sings as his grandfather, his voice soaring with aching emotion. Closer to his roots here than anywhere else on the album, his people watching is complete.
Associated Press
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Music Review: Sam Fender's pop-rock soars on his third album, ‘People Watching'
NEW YORK (AP) — As its title 'People Watching' suggests, Sam Fender spends the bulk of his third studio album putting his observations about others — their histories, their futures, their troubles, their hopes — to music. The concept is simple. The results are anything but. Written by the English singer-songwriter over two years, the album's 11 pop-rock tracks reveal a tender, strong-willed and observant lyricist. They also show off Fender's skills as a musician and co-producer, capable of tying together instrumental threads into rich productions that enliven his stories. None of that is news to his fans, who have already sold-out tour dates ahead of the album's release. Like the best of his previous releases, the project's titular opening track is anthemic and robust. Its Springsteen-style makes you want to move, or at least, shout along with Fender. That energy is achieved through a fast-paced and meticulously arranged production: Guitar and piano are layered over strings. Metallic cymbals punctuate the chorus, cut by a saxophone solo. The drumbeat is steady but quick, standing in for Fender's racing heart. 'I can't stop running,' he sings, 'I see the whole town fall.' That town, his home of North Shields, England, serves as inspiration throughout the album. On 'Crumbling Empire,' atop grooving electric guitar, Fender appears to describe his family and the systems they were failed by: 'My mother delivered most of the kids in this town / My stepdad drove in a tank for the crown,' before summarizing his album in a few lines: 'I don't wear the shoes I used to walk in / But I can't help but thinking where they'd take me / In this crumbling empire.' He speaks of specific struggles, but his observations are built upon the understanding that pain is always universal. On 'Something Heavy,' he offers reprieve: 'Everybody here's got, something heavy / I'll shoulder it a while if you just want a night off.' The album closes with 'Remember My Name,' a tribute to Fender's late grandparents. It is written from the perspective of his grandfather as he cared for Fender's grandmother, who had dementia. Absent the upbeat guitars and drum beats that accompany much of the album, Fender's vocals are strikingly crisp. Featured instead is the muffled, nostalgic sound of horns, performed by Northeast England's Easington Colliery Band. The song's chorus is tight but powerful. 'Humor me / make my day / I'll tell you stories / kiss your face / and I'll pray / you'll remember / my name,' Fender sings as his grandfather, his voice soaring with aching emotion. Closer to his roots here than anywhere else on the album, his people watching is complete.
