Finally playing his long postponed, sold-out gig at the First Direct Arena, Sam Fender returned to Leeds for a night which rocked a city desperate to see one of the nation’s best talents.
Opening with ‘Will We Talk?’ the enthusiastic crowd were then swaying to ‘Getting Started’ and ‘The Boarders’, before moshing to ‘Spice’ under strict instructions from Sam, the sweetest of guys, to “be nice”.
Sam continued with a mix of songs from both his albums, including ‘Seventeen Going Under’, mixed in with the classic Yorkshire Chants, as well as a new one for Leeds-Shearer. Well, he is from Newcastle…
In an unexpected but much speculated twist, Sam went solo to cover Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’, providing a brief moment of intimacy, he then covered ‘I’m on Fire’ with Gang of Youths, the equally amazing support for the tour.
The highlight came at the end of the night with singalongs to classics ‘Saturday’ and ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ which filled the gigantic arena with the sounds of joy and the sight of flying pints, as Sam said it’s great to be back to normal.
A night to remember for all who were there, Sam Fender returns to Leeds on Friday 10th December at Brudenell Social Club (sold out).
By Tom Horn (25/11/2021)
Photography- Tom Horn