QR Music: Interview with Sam Fender in the Ulster Hall

What better way to spend a Saturday night than by going backstage in Belfast's Ulster Hall to interview the fantastic Sam Fender ahead of his first ever UK-wide tour! Sam supported Jake Bugg in Belfast and Dublin on the 16th and 17th of February, and just before he took to the stage I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with him and discuss his massive breakthrough into mainstream music.

Sam just released his brand new single 'Friday Fighting', which has received fantastic reviews and airplay across the UK.

First of all, congratulations on the new single! Do you want to tell me a bit about writing and producing it? How long did it take? 

S: Cheers! Yeah, wow, uh.. it was actually a single that I’d wrote ages ago. It was one of the oldest songs and I wrote it before any of the new stuff that we’ve got planned coming up. I never expected it to be a single. Wrote it about 2 years ago.

We originally were gonna put it out as a single at one point but then we decided against it because it was around the time we were releasing 'Greasy Spoon'. So it sat there .. not really doing much. But then we played it live and lots of people responded well to it.

Do you think it got more positive feedback than any of your previous singles?

S: I'm not sure .. I just think there's a certain audience for Friday.

I like it, it's really catchy!

S: Yeah, you can probably say Friday is a bit more generic, like .. indie music. 

And is that the vibe you were going for with the track?

S: Not really, its just a song that I kinda wrote. I was just writing about a sh*t Friday night out in like sh*t clubs. It was kinda just about getting your head kicked in .. which happens. And then, yeah, it just kinda became this track that was arcade-fiery but almost like .. some people would say Arctic Monkeys but I don’t think I sound anything like the Arctic Monkeys!

That was actually what I was gonna ask you next. The press has compared you to the Arctic Monkeys, and to Bruce Springsteen and the Macabees. Would you say you’re inspired by them musically or lyrically?

S: The Macabees .. I was kind of only really .. I mean I’m very late with discovering the Macabees, I wasn’t like a fan of them until now. So I’m starting to listen to their music now, but  Springsteen yeah definitely! Massive Springsteen fan. And the Arctic Monkeys have just came up but I feel if you’re like in your early twenties then you’ve obviously grew up with the Arctic Monkeys regardless so..

Is there anyone in particular apart from these guys that influences you?

S: Ehhh, just classic singers I suppose. I love like .. this a bit of curveball with my music but I love Joni Mitchell. She’s like my f*cking hero. And I love Jeff Buckley, for like, a vocal. I’m quite a high singer. I’ve quite a high voice.

I would say your voice is quite raspy as well though.

S: Yeah, yeah.

He got range.

S: (Laughs) There you go. Thank you very much.

So how’d you get into music then? Obviously the last couple of years have been particularly eventful for you

S: It’s kind of been like a 9 month journey from the ground to here. We released the first single 'Play God'. And then it was just like, that had such a big impact, just the first single from somebody that has no kind of songs before.

And when did you first start?

S: When did I very first start? Uh, I was probably .. so I started playing guitar and then .. I started probably writing really sh*t songs when I was like 13. And then I started sorting bands when I was like 15. I was in a band, I was the guitarist, and then uh, we had a singer. And we kicked him out.

We just didn’t think he was good enough to be the singer. And then I was like, I didn’t wanna be the singer but temporarily when we were rehearsing [I sang], but then we ended up not getting enough rehearsing and so, I started singing then.

And then sorta after that band disbanded I started just like playing on my own and writing songs. And that’s it. Me at 18.

How long have you been with your manager then?

S: Oh it’s been a while. Quite a few years. I met him in a pub 3 years ago, where I work. Well I used to work there anyway. And his other artist had just won 2 Brit awards and he was coming back the next Saturday with his family and he walked into the pub where I was working and then .. that’s kinda how I met him.

And since then you've gotten a lot more airplay

S: It's definitely picking up.

We support a lot of local artists at Queen’s Radio and try to get them as much promotion as we can. What advice would you give to them to get more airplay and land more gigs?

I don’t think there’s any like specific formula for getting more airplay. I think you’ve just got to have good material. Just keep f*cking writing.. and don’t listen to people who use the terms “real job” and “plan B”. Cus they’re all dead inside.

(Laughing) Yeah, fair enough. 

For anyone who hasn’t listened to you before, how would you describe your music? What do you think sets your music apart from current releases from other upcoming artists?

S: I haven’t wrote a lot of song[s] yet. That’s probably how I’m different. I haven’t sang about a girl yet, so.. I’m kinda scared [to do that].

But you’re about to start your first headline tour on Friday. Do you think its gonna be different to previous gigs? More nerve wrecking?

S: More exciting I think. Cus it’s the first time I’ve ever, apart from like a home town headline show and one headline show we did in Rotterdam which f*cking went really well. Weirdly it sold loads of tickets which I didn’t think it would, which is proof you just don’t know what's gonna happen.

So yeah.. I think it’s gonna be great. I am genuinely really excited to see people who are actually there to see what I’ve wrote. People singing back is, when I first noticed that I was like wow people like me. That was weird. That is what I’ve done this for.

That must feel really nice

S: Just to know that you’ve actually affected someone and they’re actually singing it back, it’s great.

What’s the best gig you’ve done so far? And also what’s the worst? Plus any funny anecdotes from previous gigs?

S: Best gig and worst gig.. Best gig Riverside Newcastle hometown show. Just because it’s the biggest venue I've sold and it was f*cking mental. And it was the last show of last year.

Ehh.. the worst show I’ve ever played. There’s been a few pretty bad ones. Not like.. normally it was technical difficulties. I had one show where like all my gear cut out. Which was f*cking horrible.

(Laughs) What did you do?

S: I didn’t know. So I just kind of got through it. But yeah that’s been my worst gig.

I’m trying to think.. oh, yeah actually I’ve got a gig that’s the best and worst gig at the same time. I know that’s a bit weird but we had a great show. And it was in this like .. well it was our first ever tour, so we went to this mini local festival thing and someone asked if we wanted to play so we were like f*ck it lets just do it for the laughs, cus it was the end of the tour. And we pulled up in this barn, and it was like a trailer, a van-trailer, and in the back was like everyone. And we did this gig where as soon as the drums started going the microphone was like smashing us in the face. And that was great.. but then there was this Liam Gallagher lookalike d*ckhead who was in the band after us going up on stage f*cking.. picking fights with us.

What did he do?

S: -Impersonating him in a broad liverpoolian accent- “ F*ckin get off stage “ .. he kept going on and on. He was just a d*ck. Just a massive d*ckhead. And everyone knew that they were d*ckheads [his band], and then we got this email of apology off them after that for being d*ckheads. And I found out that the band broke up. So, karma.

You supported Jake Bugg last night in Dublin, and tonight you’re supporting him in Belfast. Have you noticed any differences playing to an audience in Ireland than elsewhere?

S: It reminded us of home. Of Newscastle. In the sense that everyone was just f*cking mortal. Newcastle is quite a similar sort of crowd.. I think you both like your booze so..

We do (laughing).

If you could choose one artist to play with on-stage, who would it be and why? Joni Mitchell?

S: Yeah, probably Joni Mitchell. Live or dead, could it be either?

Yeah, could be either.

S: Probably do like a Jeff Buckley duo or something. Jeff Buckley AND Joni Mitchell.

At the same time!

S: At the same time. And we’re doing some mad three part harmony on a Joni Mitchell song. I would happily just die after that.

And finally, do you have any plans to come back here and gig in the future?

S: Definitely. It’s my first time here. And I’ve been here for.. so I’ve seen these walls. I’ve seen nothing else.

Well, actually I tell a lie. I have been in Belfast briefly once before but it was literally like a passing through. And I was doing like some song writing. It was like a song writing course - something to with like some music promoters or something.

Anyway everyone piled into these cottages that were near the Giant's Causeway, and we got really drunk and wrote loads of songs for three days. And Tim Wheeler from Ash was there! He was one of the people who organised it. It was pretty cool.

I think I wrote one song the whole time, and it was pretty sh*t.

Thanks Sam! Listen to his new single on Spotify and iTunes now, and make sure to check out his website for all upcoming tour dates.

By James Lavery