Review: Brit Sam Fender Makes his Mark on Toronto

Sipping his cup of tea in between songs, cracking jokes about growing up in England and reeling off note perfect tracks with ease; Sam Fender’s gig at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on March 18 wasn’t one to ignore.

New on the music scene in North America, Fender grew up in North Shields, a small town in the North of England. You may not be familiar with his debut EP titled Dead Boys but his track “Play God” is featured on the Fifa 19 soundtrack, which basically gets it worldwide recognition.

At 22-years-old, Fender has already won the renowned Critics Choice award at the Brit Awards this year. Previous winners include Adele, Florence and the Machine and Sam Smith.

He recently played his newest single “Hypersonic Missiles” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Historically, the Horseshoe Tavern has acted host to respected artists early in their careers such as The Strokes in 2001 and even The Police in 1978, which is fitting considering Sting himself attended Fender’s gig on Monday.

All photos by Céline Guignier @forpopsake.

The atmosphere is for a small audience in a big-city gig. There’s the British fans who are attending out of pure luck at finding cheap tickets to see Fender in an intimate space. Then there’s the concert-savvy Torontonians and whoever else, that are just around to hear what’s new. Maybe some die-hard Fifa fans?

Fender from the get-go is unbelievably normal. There isn’t any over-hyping the crowd or shouting of “HELLO TORONTO”. He fits right in here and everyone is clearly loving the British lad centre stage with a Geordie accent.

His’s short but poignant list of crowd-pleasing tracks demonstrates clearly his versatility and ability to change a mood in a matter of minutes. A spectrum of intimate, heart-wrenching to head banging, hands-in-the-air pieces; he gets it just right for an up and comer.

Fender is slowly becoming known for writing lyrics tackling bigger social issues than your everyday chart topper. His track “Dead Boys” made headlines in the UK after highlighting the issue of male suicide in his hometown.

The controversial “Poundshop Kardashians,” which put a spotlight on issues surrounding reality TV, got some responses claiming Fender was hating on pop-culture in order to be edgy.

It’s refreshing to watch a young, male artist who doesn’t just sing about failed relationships with women and instead targets current issues such as drug addiction (“Spice”) and toxic masculinity (“Friday Fighting”). He understands where he came from and the generation he is in.

Around half way into Fender’s short gig at the ‘Shoe, he instructed us that his band would head off. He would do a few more songs on his own because he hates encores, so will just bring them back on for his single “That Sound” to round things off.

Centre stage with just his guitar and mic, he has the crowd mesmerised as his track “Leave Fast” rings out. The song itself is incredibly eerie, consisting of only guitar and his piercing vocals. Completely moved, it was hard to take your eyes off him. It is clear when watching Fender what this means to him.

The best reception came for “Hypersonic Missiles,” as he laughed telling the crowd, “We sang this on Jimmy Kimmel recently. Always name dropping that one.”

As the crowd sang along, he smiled as though it was the first time hearing it back.

Fender chats to his audience between songs as though he’s sat with friends enjoying a brew. He targets his Canadian crowd well, telling stories of growing up in England with his fellow bandmate, guitarist Dean Thompson; the room laughs as he recalls egging the local shop as kids in North Shields.

While Fender’s intimate solo tracks fit perfectly in a garage-sized space and for a cozy crowd, his bigger hits and guitar rips are made for the masses.

There is a greater appreciation for his music as a result of his relatable manner. Apart from the fact that Fender is immensely talented, this is clearly a group of everyday pals from Northern England, traveling the world together and having a bloody good time while doing so. This brings something to their set, making you feel as though you’re right in it with them.

Basically, how every one of our favourite bands started out, right?

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