GIG REVIEW: Sam Fender Puts On A Songwriting masterclass @ The Fortitude music Hall
Words by Archie Waterson
I first discovered Sam Fender through my older brother, being “pommy” immigrants, anything that remotely reminds us of Oasis, gets us going. Sam Fender looks like your average bloke that would be playing his acoustic guitar at your local pub. But my word, am I thankful he didn’t go down the route of taking requests from 50-year-old Mum’s who just want to hear you sing Ed Sheeran covers. Because the guy is one of the most talented singer/songwriters of our day, with the outstanding ability to evoke imagery of his hometown of Newcastle, even if you’ve never left Queensland. When Fender announced that he was going to be making a stop at Brisbane whilst on his world tour, I knew I couldn’t miss a chance to get some sweet British nostalgia.
I arrived at the always fantastic Fortitude Music Hall early so I could get a glimpse of the support act, HighSchool. HighSchool are a band currently based in London, but originally from Australia’s very own Melbourne town. I had never heard or seen anything of HighSchool, so I was going in with fresh eyes. And wow, what an experience they were, the Melbourne post-punk quartet put on a quality opener. This is a band that have a ‘New Order’ sounding vibe, I felt like I was at a nightclub in Trainspotting.
It’s always exciting to know there are talented Aussie artists kicking it overseas, and obviously getting the much-deserved recognition over there too. Playing their bigger tunes like ‘New York Paris and London’ and new single ‘Only A Dream’, the band kicked the night off in an epic way. I recommend anyone reading who is a fan of Joy Division and The Drums, to definitely check ‘HighSchool’ out.
And without much time passing, Sam Fender and his band full of quirky looking British dudes came out onto stage. Kicking the night off with a screamer of a song, ‘Will We Talk’ to get the Brisbaner’s up and going. Following this tune, Fender went into one of his newest tracks off of his 2021 album ‘Seventeen Going Under’, ‘Getting Started’ which truly (please excuse the dreadful pun) got things started. A beautiful track that involves a lot of his band heavily, including his sax player, who stood out the back dressed like a Liam Gallagher impersonator but with a lot more musical talent.
In between songs, Sam would speak a lot in his strong “Geordie” accent, I could catch about every third word, but his band were laughing so I’m sure it was all great banter. His accent although humorously hard to translate at times, was not difficult to understand as he got into singing with it. As he delivered his beautiful Geordie vocals over tracks, ‘Dead Boys’, ‘Mantra’ and fan favourite, ‘The Borders’. As I stared around the show, I noticed almost everyone singing along, which is a true kudos to Sam’s ability to write memorable lyrics.
Following his great start to the show, Sam revealed he was dealing with a really bad flu. But watching him deliver the next track ‘Spice’ although having a probably pretty spicy cough is an ode to how much his fans mean to him. Following this, Sam pushed through the set playing two songs off his new album ‘Howdon Aldi Death Queue’ and ‘Get You Down’. Succeeding these songs was a song that many had bought their tickets to see, ‘Spit of You’. Spit of You is a song about the struggle Sam has opening up emotionally to his “spitting image” father. Hearing Sam sing it to us, showed how much he still feels those conflicting emotions. The pain in his voice although saddening, was inspiring and a thing of beauty, and a constant reminder of the universal connection we all have through music.
Finishing his mesmerising vocal performance on ‘Spit of You’, Fender was delivered a cup of tea on stage to sooth the ever-present flu he had. But although sniffling his nose and inaudibly venting, he pushed through like a trooper to tracks, ‘Alright’, ‘Playing God’ and his “last song” of the night, ‘The Dying Light’. Although this was dubbed his last song of the night, we need the Geordie battler would be back for more after going backstage for a Panadol.
And just like that the band arrived back out on stage for an encore. Sam with a different guitar in hand from the one before, and possibly another round of English Breakfast tea, before jumping into his brand new single ‘Wild Grey Ocean’. With not much time to go and a couple big tunes still not heard, the audience suspected what songs they were about to hear next.
Brisbane heard the guitar riff of hit song, ‘Seventeen Going Under’ and went into ecstasy as they all started to sing along. A song that hits you like an Oasis ballad and gets goosebumps rising all up your arms. Knowing ‘Seventeen Going Under’ had much commercial success in Australia, I knew this song would blow the roof off the music hall, and it truly did. With lyrics such as, “I was far too scared to hit him, but I would hit him in a heartbeat now” having the crowd most likely thinking of their high school bullies.
Finishing the night off with another big hitter, ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ a politically fuelled track that has much lyricism to pick apart. Sam’s passion and empathy for the common man, shines through in this track, and again, is universally relatable in that way. The song came to an end and so did the phenomenal show.
Leaving the music hall, I thought of what a masterclass in song writing I just witnessed. These thoughts passing my mind as UK football chants were sung by the crowd walking out the door. A constant reminder of no matter where you come from, music connects us. A boy from council estates in Newcastle sharing his story to people in sunny Brisbane, and somehow, we leave his show feeling like we’ve known him our whole life. Scenes.