Newcastle golden boy, Sam Fender, has been crowned the 2025 winner of the Mercury Prize, becoming one of just two non-London artists to win the award in the last nine years, in a deeply significant hometown win. The North Shields-born indie rock artist took first place for his third studio album People Watching, among a shortlist of twelve, with rival nominees including CMAT, Fontaines DC, Pulp and Wolf Alice. The win follows the albumâs UK chart-topping performance of earlier this year, and coincides with the first-ever hosting of the event outside London. In a culmination of the week-long Mercury Prize Fringe celebrations, the win is a true homage to the music of the North East and its marginalised working-class communities that Fenderâs music lends a voice to.
Over a vibrant career undoubtedly still in its early stages, Sam Fender has developed a reputation for his heartland rock commentary on the depth of the human experience. Across three studio albums, he brings together both internal and external conflict, alongside political commentary on both the environment he grew up in and the broader UK context. The influences of his hometown are apparent both in his lyrics and the distinctive North Shields accent evident throughout his tracks, earning him the nickname âGeordie Springsteenâ in light of the classic rock influences apparent in his music. Kickstarting his career in 2013, Fender boasts a resume of three UK top 10 singles and three UK number 1 albums. Despite this, his down-to-earth and humble nature remains intact. Attend a Sam Fender concert, and immediately a sense of awe at his own success is made clear, and his overwhelming gratitude to the fans – an attitude that persists following his recent tour of sold-out stadium shows.
In his first two albums, Fender draws on the lived experiences of the communities of North Shields and his own upbringing. Whether it is in the lamenting of the âweekday bluesâ in the long run-up to Saturday, the harrowing commentary on male suicide in his hometown or tragic stories of childhood and emotional neglect, Fender sheds light on the realities of working-class Britain. In light of the austerity that pervaded his early life, he has made past comments about the obligation he feels to draw attention to the everyday struggles of ordinary people. Following the release of âDead Boysâ in 2018, Fender noted that he would never be âone of those people who overestimates their impact on the world.â However, he continued: âwhen a song connects and makes people come together… I feel the job holds more weight than I could ever imagineâ. While several of his songs highlight concern over political injustice (âHypersonic Missilesâ, for example), he has himself confirmed that he does not see himself as an explicitly political songwriter, preferring to centre the social elements of his work. This sentiment is evident in the more autobiographical Seventeen Going Under (2021), in which Fender looks inwards at his own conflicts and stories of his upbringing, and continues in the Mercury Prize-winning People Watching.
Paying tribute to the people around him who have shaped his lived experience, People Watching is rife with reflections broader than those made in Seventeen Going Under. Reconciling his own observations and angst with memories of his loved ones and his home environment, Fender successfully explores his upbringing in a sense of how it has formed the man and musician he has grown into. The bleak observations of a contemporary Britain that characterise Fenderâs work are still here, in raw commentaries on the neglect and decline of regions historically associated with industry. His hometown influences remain apparent – notably, âRemember My Nameâ (Track 11) features the Easington Colliery Brass Band. Across eleven tracks, he accumulates the stories of ordinary people left behind by a system that repeatedly fails them- a theme acknowledged by his Mercury Prize win. Sian Eleri praised the album for its âcohesion, character and ambitionâ, echoed by a statement from the judges recognising the integration of Fenderâs ‘melody-rich and expansiveâ songwriting with the ârealities of everyday life and importance of communityâ. In his acceptance speech, special tribute was paid to Annie Orwin, a key subject of the title track âPeople Watchingâ, whom Fender has described as a âsurrogate motherâ.
In contrast to the commercial success-centred Brit Awards, the Mercury Prize is an independent arts award intended to recognise artistic prowess in British and Irish music, covering a range of contemporary genres. It is a significant stepping stone to international success. Since its conception in 1992, the competition has been dominated by artists from London and the South East – the hometown victory of Sam Fender, therefore, cannot be understated, not just as a win for the artist, but for the Northâs music sector as a whole. Fender himself is acutely aware of the barriers faced by working-class artists. In a 2022 interview with Dazed, he noted the difficulties in breaking through without prior industry connections, stating: âI end up going to these award ceremonies and stuff like that, and we know that weâre some of the few people there who are working class kids. You can feel itâ. This reflection appears in Track 9, âTV Dinnerâ- which discusses how, in a music industry in which the working class are excluded, Fender rarely encounters peers with a similar lived experience. His Mercury Prize win could be a step in the right direction to putting Tyneside in the spotlight, compounded by the hosting of the event in Newcastle itself. Karen Kilgour, leader of Newcastle City Council, noted in light of celebrations that âhuge events like this can demonstrate to young creatives across our city that they donât need to move to London to forge a career – they can become superstars here on Tynesideâ.
In the crowning of a musical star of the North East in the shape of Sam Fender, we can hope in the future to see progress towards a new generation of Northern artists, equipped to find their place on both the national and global stage.
Editor: Maddie Willetts