After what feels like an eternity, everyone’s favourite Geordie is back: Sam Fender’s new album looks like it’s on the way but we’re getting a massive UK arena tour first.
Literally three whole years since his smash-hit sophomore record Seventeen Going Under and having gone without any new releases from Sam besides an exciting feature on Noah Kahan’s ‘Homesick’ back in January, Fender fanatics have quite rightly been losing their minds.
You can consider us firmly included in that group.
Confirming the announcement at 10 on Friday, 18 October after a series of teasers online, the 30-year-old has finally shared details of the new ‘People Watching’ tour, suspected to be the name of his upcoming third studio album.
Fans have already heard glimpses of the heavily rumoured title track ‘People Watching’ both in the short social media clips and out on the road, as the North Shields-born indie star and his band have been playing new songs at a handful of gigs at the likes of this year’s Boardmasters festival back in August.
Although live versions of other as yet unreleased tracks like ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’ and ‘Love is a Long Road’ are out there on the internet, it became clear which song he was going to release first after he posted the lyrics, “I people watch on the way back home”, on his accounts.
As well as resharing posters outside some of the UK’s biggest venues like Manchester’s Co-op Live and Leeds’ First Direct Arena, he also told fans to get ready with a countdown page on his website.
Having now dropped the series of dates, we’re buzzing to find out that ‘Sam Fender 3’ and his UK tour are coming sooner than we expected – the gigs themselves as early as December in fact.
Consider this the best early Christmas present ever!
Set to play Leeds First Direct Arena on 4 December 2024 and a special hometown gig in Newcastle later that month, he will be launching into the rest of his European dates in March next year. It’s hard to believe this is his first UK tour since spring 2022.
Better yet, the incredible Wunderhorse will once again be supporting him and £1 from every ticket sold for the UK dates will be donated to the Music Venue Trust in support of grassroots venues. Love this boy.
The latest Sam Fender tour dates might be confirmed, but we’re still yet to hear details about ‘SF3’. (Credit: Screenshot)
General admission tickets go on sale from 10am next Friday, 25 October via Samfender.com but you can access pre-sale by pre-ordering the new album in any format HERE before Monday, 21 October to get an exclusive code.
We still don’t know the album name for sure or the release date, but we know that ‘SF3’ is coming and we can’t wait to hear the new songs as well as all the hits live. Roll on December!
Wakefield heroes The Cribs have announced a special hometown show to celebrate 20 years of their critically acclaimed album.
After two decades and nine albums as one of Britain’s iconic indie bands; Gary, Ryan and Ross Jarman are back celebrating their album, Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever, at Wakefield's historically significant venue Tileyard North.
They'll be coming to the city on Friday 20 August, acting as the first headliner revealed for next summer’s Live at Tileyard North series.
Now living in Portland, Oregon, New York and the band’s native Wakefield respectively; the trio’s 9th full length release, 2025’s Selling a Vibe, found the brothers proving themselves once again as a leading band in the indie scene.
Returning to Wakefield to celebrate the milestone album’s 20th anniversary, which is widely regarded as their best record, they'll be by playing it in full on the same site where the Jarman brothers wrote and rehearsed in the early 2000’s.
Joining The Cribs in Wakefield will be cult Yorkshire art rock heroes ¡Forward, Russia!, who are celebrating 20 years of their inimitable debut album Give Me A Wall.
Image: Supplied
Toby Womack, Promoter - Futuresound Events said: “I am so pleased to be able to bring back our Live at Tileyard North Series for 2027. After such a warm reception in 2026, it’s encouraging to know we have Wakefield's stamp of approval to keep it going for years to come.
"We couldn’t think of a better way to launch our second edition than with The Cribs' first hometown show in over 10 years, this will be incredibly special!”
Liam Duffy, Tileyard North said: “The launch of Live at Tileyard North was a triumph, so we couldn’t be happier about its return next year. We’re all super excited to collaborate with the Futuresound team again, who brought so much consideration and care to the venue, and together bring even more exceptional live music to the people of Wakefield.
"With local legends The Cribs leading the first announcement, next year's shows are guaranteed to be even bigger and better.”
The Wakefield Postcode Pre-sale will allow early access to tickets for Wakefield residents, and will open 10am on Wednesday 21 October here whilst general sale will open at 10am on Friday 23 October here.
A Pulp pop-up pub is coming to Sheffield, taking over a beloved local boozer
Daisy Jackson
A Pulp pop-up pub is heading to Sheffield later this month, following unbelievable success over in Manchester.
The Sheffield icons will be taking charge of beloved local boozer and grassroots gig venue The Hallamshire Hotel.
The news was announced this afternoon by Rough Trade Records, along with Pulp themselves.
While they're keeping the exact details under wraps for now, we've got a pretty good idea of what we might be able to expect, based on their pop-up pub in Manchester in August.
There, there was a jukebox programmed by Jarvis Cocker himself, along with merch literally plastered on every wall and even the ceilings.
The previous Pulp pop-up pub had loads of merch for sale, from tees and totes to records and stickers.
The walls were turned into a shrine for the band, showcasing posters and photography from throughout their illustrious career.
And the crowds came through in a big way, queueing halfway down the street for a chance to be totally immersed in all things Pulp.
So much so, The Rat & Pigeon (who hosted the Manchester edition) have warned on social media: "Note to @hallamshire_hotel - you WILL be 10x busier than you expect - even if it’s pissing it down. Enjoy!"
For their Sheffield pop-up, all we know for sure is the location (The Hallamshire Hotel) and the date (30 October).
Danny Jones -
18th October 2024 
