Sam Fender, the down-to-earth lad from North Shields has both the crowd and his black and white striped Fender Stratocaster in the palm of his hand alike as he embarks on the first of two nights at Co-op Live.
Strutting out on stage with the nonchalance of a superstar, he’s done it all before. The Pyramid stage at Glastonbury, headlining festivals worldwide and playing in front of 50,000 at his beloved St James Park. Howay man!
Yet, however he does it, it almost feels like it’s just you and him in the room. His relaxed, baggy jeans and oversized t-shirt are emblematic of his laid back approach to just having fun with his mates, even on the biggest of stages.
The humble 30-year-old hit maker, who has now been touring stadiums for seven years, still treats his audience like they’re locals at the Low Lights Tavern – unblinded by the 23,500 flashbulbs in the UK’s largest indoor arena.
Fittingly supported by Wunderhorse, one of the UK’s best upcoming bands, they warm the crowd up with their own supply of rock anthems including Midas, Purple and Teal.
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Sam Fender then opens up with Dead Boys, a tune he hadn’t played so far on his 2024 People Watching Tour, and it was to some reception in front of the Manchester crowd.
Alongside his gifted guitar talent, his lyricism is generational, with Dead Boys being a cult favourite and the perfect opener to what is to be an incredible showcase.
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The first song chosen from the critically acclaimed Seventeen Going Under album, ‘Getting Started’ follows and in its namesake he’s right…
The floor to the back row are on their feet in unison as Fender and the band catapult into full swing.
In his repertoire of heartfelt classics, Sam gives the Manchester crowd the taste of many a playlist favourite with the production to match.
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‘The Boarders’ hits a tone that only builds from start to finish, with the anguish of life as a young lad from the North East playing into poetry, a personal favourite. When the guitar solo hits in the final third of the track, the light show on display gets mesmerising. The saxophone solo takes the spectacle to new levels – as they always do.
Sandwiched between two tracks from his upcoming release is one of his oldest, ‘All Is On My Side’. If there was an indie rhythm to epitomise my adolescent years it would be this one. It is a tune that describes growing up and the challenges that come with it.
Across the tour so far, it has been welcomed back into the setlist with open arms paying homage to the music that took him to where he is that features a signature Stratocaster crescendo.
As an early Christmas gift, People Watching EP dropped into our streaming services with a taste of what is to come on the 2025 full album. Wild Long Lie, which we have already sampled on full release, is paired alongside Nostalgia’s Lie and Arms Length which somewhat dissipated momentum.
Nonetheless, it clearly shows signs of something to become Fender staples in the near future.
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Amongst the chaos of the floor, it’s poignant to note the moral compass of the man on stage. Midway through one of his brand new releases, the down-to-earth Geordie pulls the plug to care for fans struggling in the heat of the pit, making a point of looking after each other during the show. Something I can only think he would have resonated with during his youthful yesteryears as a gig-goer on the other side of the barrier. Class act!
‘We Will Talk?’ kickstarts proceedings off again, showering the crowd with another archetypal hit to get the Co-op Live firmly on their feet.
When you know a song is about to blow the roof off the place, as a proud songwriter he only had to say one word. Spice. Dating back to November 2018, ‘Spice’ came along with ‘Dead Boys’ in his debut EP and it holds cult status six years down the line. If the sheer genius of the anthem isn’t enough to keep the audience engaged, then the massive pyrotechnic display firing out the back of the stage might have!
Now, as a man who has religiously listened to Sam Fender’s collection throughout the year, a song that placed number one for me was ‘Howdon Aldi Death Queue’ – specifically the Finsbury Park live version. In its presence for the first time in the flesh, this more than lives up to expectations.
For a song that, on a surface level – describes separating a reasonable distance from the person in front of you during a global pandemic at a supermarket in Wallsend – it holds about two minutes of the greatest guitar solos you would hear this side of the Tyne Bridge.
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Shades of Springsteen, Petty and Hendrix, and that is high praise, just listen. Breathtaking. Rock. Music.
Running into the final phase of the performance, we were somewhat brought back down to earth with ‘Get You Down’ and ‘Spit of You’. The latter is always a touching tribute to his old man, performed with a backdrop of Polaroid images of children and their parents. More specifically the conversational difficulties between a father and son, but something that could pull on the heartstrings of the entire audience.
Then they arrive… the big finish, the final three. Some may have felt disheartened to miss out on the likes of ‘That Sound’, ‘Saturday’ and ‘Play God’ (me being exactly that person) but listen, he can’t play them all.
To close us out, Sam takes to the keys as the faint intro to ‘The Dying Light’ creeps across the venue. The melancholy piano feels like it could awaken the entirety of East Manchester on a crisp winter morning before creeping up into the traditional electric guitar with an explosive, confetti-worthy finish!
As an encore, ‘Seventeen Going Under’ and ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ provide the musical culmination of truly one of Britain’s (if not the world’s) greatest live acts.
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As the Geordie star and the band prepare for their swan song, the canny lad teases the crowd with waves of acapella Ohhh, Ohhh, Ohh, Ohhhhhh’s, pre-empting the grand finale.
Fireworks, fog machines and confetti pair with an overwhelming chorus of applause to conclude what was undoubtedly one of 2024 best live acts – and he fancies doing it all over again tonight.
Sam Fender setlist
Dead Boys (Tour Debut)
Getting Started
The Borders
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Wild Long Lie
All Is on My Side
Nostalgia’s Lie
Arm’s Length
Will We Talk?
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People Watching
Spice
Howdon Aldi Death Queue
Get You Down
Spit of You
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The Dying Light
Seventeen Going Under
Hypersonic Missiles
Featured image: Publicity picture
Audio
Audio North’s Artist of the Month – Aaron Dinning | June 2026
Thomas Melia
Aaron Dinning is an indie-pop act whose songs span the highs and lows of relationships, and now he’s Audio North’s latest Artist of the Month.
Born in County Durham, studied in Leeds, and now the curator of a live music events organisation based in Manchester, Dinning sure knows a thing about northern music.
With hits to his name already like ’24’, ‘Look Who’s Holding The Gun Now!’, this queer musician is gearing up to release a deluxe edition of his sophomore EP Boys Become Men.
If his name feels familiar to you, that’s because it probably is, as Aaron Dinning has performed at a multitude of venues across the north – including Feel Good Club, Popup Bikes, and The Proud Place.
Now, Dinning chats to Audio North about his upbringing and music journey, as he accepts the title of Artist of the Month for June.
An interview with Aaron Dinning – Audio North’s Artist of the Month | June 2026
Aaron Dinning is making his mark in the Manchester music scene with his indie-pop tracks / Credit: Press Shots via Emily Atherton (Supplied)
You were born in County Durham and now live in Manchester. How have those two places shaped you as an artist?
I think there’s such a contrast in the environment of those two places. Durham was so formative for me growing up, back then I didn’t have the autonomy to vocalise it but now I see Chester-Le-Street specifically as such a ‘small town mindset’ kind of place.
If I stayed at home, I would never be the artist I am today. That’s not to say that growing up somewhere like that isn’t just as important as the place which makes you feel accepted. You can’t have such a strong desire for one without a disdain for the other.
What does being a northern musician mean to you?
I think being northern, to me, just means breaking the mould and showing that if I can do it, anybody can. It means building my career on my own terms, it’s taught me to unapologetically be myself, on and off stage.
I always say that I want to write the songs I needed when I grew up because there was nobody like me from the North. Sometimes it still feels like I’m the only one too.
To me, if I can write a song, or put on a performance that resonates with a 15-year-old kid who’s still figuring out who they are or who they love, that’s the most fulfilling thing that can come from sharing my art.
This Northern talent is from Country Durham, studied in Leeds and is now based in Manchester / Credit: Press Shots via Jack Garrod (Supplied)
The music industry can feel very London-centric at times. Have you found being based in the North to be an advantage or a challenge?
It’s a bit of both really. Yes, London is where the majority of the big names in music are, but in my mind, I always compare it to that scene in Baby Reindeer when the guy says ‘You find yourself a background artist in a cast of millions’ (niche).
I like that the industry isn’t as saturated as London up here, but I can see that changing in years to come. The North has always been where it’s at and truly where all these major labels should be looking for who’s up next because you might just find a gem like me waiting to be found.
Is there a northern artist who made you think, “If they can do it, so can I”?
Definitely Sam Fender. I know it’s a bit of a cliche nowadays, but I absolutely love him and he’s what I think of when it comes to a classic northern success story.
I’ve seen him six times and the last time at St James’ Park was a completely different calibre of show to when I saw him at Boiler Room in 2019 and paid fifteen quid for the ticket.
Me and him are completely different, but I imagine we had a similar sort of upbringing in the terms of characters we knew growing up in rougher areas. I feel like he cracked the mainstream so well with his first album and he’s only gotten better since. I’d want my first album to have the same kind of critical acclaim as his.
Dinning fuses his sexuality throughout his music, being an openly queer pop musician / Credit: Press Shots via Tom Hargreaves (Supplied)
What made Manchester feel like the right place for the next chapter of your career?
I recorded my entire EP here whilst I was still living in Leeds with Toby Ollis Brownstone from the beginning of 2024. That year and a half which I spent travelling back and forth in Manchester made me love the city and loathe commuting.
I knew I wanted to move to Manchester when I got invited to play the Queer as F*ck open mic on Valentine’s Day in 2025. That was the first show I played accompanying myself on the guitar, I agreed to play three hours before doors and completely fumbled my way through the set.
The feeling of the room was like nothing I’d experienced before, to come to a show in another city I had never played in and feel so welcomed, at home and accepted by a room full of likeminded people, felt like a feeling I could only replicate in Manchester.
Has living in Manchester changed your songwriting at all?
Generally speaking, I’ve been playing guitar a lot more since moving here. I feel like there’s a naive fresh start that comes along with moving to new places and feeling like your life’s going to drastically change.
Becoming the Producer of SoFar Manchester helped me feel integrated and I’ve met so many cool people doing that job while spotlight my friends who are artists and bring them to the city that I fell in love with – It’s all very full circle.
I’ve brought Romy Taylor, Caitlin Doran, Sophie Green, and GRACEY over to play SoFar events and they’re all equally amazing creatives who are based in Leeds, like I once was.
The ’24’ singer has played gigs in unusual Manchester city centre locations like Popup Bikes in Ancoats / Credit: Credit: Press Shots via Emily Atherton (Supplied)
What do you think Manchester does better than anywhere else when it comes to music?
I think Manchester is such a hot pot of different styles and genres. I think the thing it does best is spotlight LGBTQ+ artists. Not just in music, but drag is somewhere I look to when I think of performance, and the queens in the village are truly a sign of resilience and individuality.
I’ve had more shows just for being queer in Manchester than anywhere else I’ve lived, there’s so many freelance creatives, charities and gig promoters who are looking out for LGBTQ+ artists to celebrate, even making entire lineups out of us.
Featured Images – The Manc Group/Press Shots (supplied)
Audio
Neighbourhood Festival’s return to the city centre is looking great with after revealing second wave
Danny Jones
Neighbourhood Festival’s city centre all-dayer is returning to Manchester for 2026 after a year off, and with the second wave of the lineup having just dropped, it’s looking very promising.
Following teasers over the past month or so, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that NBHD Festival was coming back, especially with the Weekender in Warrington having taken a similar hiatus in 2024.
However, when festivals like these take time out, it can be easy to worry whether or not they’ll lose momentum or come back stronger.
Judging by this follow-up batch of acts alone, there’s no doubt NBHD Fest ’26 will be another cracker.
As you can see, as well as the fast-rising grungey alternative and garage rock quartet, KEO, being announced as one of the first big hitters on the list, there are some other familiar names on the lineup.
Especially for us Mancs.
With both Bolton and Altrincham youngsters, Florentenes and The Guest List, both joining the roster, as well as the likes of Bury-born ‘rockabilly’ revivalist Elliot James Reay also featuring on there, there’s a good deal of local talent to be enjoyed as always.
That goes for the regional delegation in general, too, with the likes of Jos River heading back up this way from her base in London, and Leeds’ fittingly named indie four-piece, The North, also booking a slot.
We’ll admit there are plenty of bands and artists coming up from the capital for the all-day festival, but at least they know where the UK’s real home of music is.
For instance, we’re buzzing to see the Red Rum Club boys returning to the NBHD stage once again – they never disappoint, and there are so many other guaranteed top performers on the bill. And that was just this year’s Weekener…
It’s worth reminding, once again, that since its inception in 2016 (yes, it really has been a decade now), Neighbourhood Fest has continued to serve as a proper launchpad for the next wave of superstars, not just here in the North West but across the country.
We still remember seeing the likes of Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, The Lathums and more – some for the very first time – on these city centre stages, and it’s crazy to see how big some of them have gone on to become.
Set to take over some of Manchester’s most iconic venues along the Oxford Road Corridor once again, this is, without a doubt, one of the best dates for independents on the annual live music calendar.
Hosting a total of 11 stages on Saturday, 17 October, for a full day of live music, tickets for this year’s Neighbourhood Festival are on sale now right HERE.
And if you’ve already sorted yours, why not read our review of NBHD Weekender ’26 down below to get you in the mood for the next two editions.
Harry Quick -
7th December 2024 
