Sam Fender is praying he’ll see his loved ones again. So am I

Sam Fender’s third album, People Watching, sees the “Geordie Bruce Springsteen” asking big questions of himself, society and God. But when it comes to the loss of loved ones, Max Avard says he’s praying Fender also finds the hope in Jesus that held him fast through grief

If you caught me crying on the escalators of Bank tube station in London last Monday morning, then please know I was OK. I was listening to Sam Fender and thinking about the apostle Paul. Let me explain…

For the uninitiated, Sam Fender is a singer-songwriter born and raised in North Shields, who’s enjoyed astronomical success since his first EP, Dead Boys, dropped in 2018. His debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, topped the charts in 2019, and was followed by Seventeen Going Under - an album that garnered widespread critical acclaim, a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize, and the elusive beginnings of success across the pond.