Sam Fender covered The Clash‘s classic track ‘London Calling’ during his show at The O2 last night (December 10). Check out the footage below.
The North Shields singer-songwriter played the first of two gigs at the venue as part of his current UK and Ireland arena tour, which kicked off in Dublin last Monday (December 2).
Towards the end of the main set, Fender paid homage to the UK capital by treating the audience to a rollicking rendition of the title track from The Clash’s 1979 album, ‘London Calling’.
The cover saw Fender’s bandmates Joe Atkinson and Dean Thompson️ join in on vocals, and included a recreation of Joe Strummer‘s wolf-like howl against choppy, distorted guitars.
“Yes, boys!” Fender said at the end of the performance. Atkinson added: “I think I might’ve got away with that, y’know!”
Tune in here:
Elsewhere in the set, Fender aired his latest singles ‘People Watching’ and ‘Wild Long Lie’ from his forthcoming third album, as well as the yet-to-be-released songs ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’ and ‘Arm’s Length’.
The ‘Seventeen Going Under’ artist will return to The O2 tomorrow night (December 12) ahead of further dates in Birmingham and Glasgow. Find any remaining tickets here.
In a four-star review of Fender’s concert in Leeds on December 4, NME wrote: “There’s no radical shake-up of the setlist, but rather a sense of self-confidence to double down on a reliable approach that’s served him well.
“While tonight affirms that ‘People Watching’ material will have to fight for its place, a successful balance of old and new could hoist Sam Fender’s career to unprecedented heights. Glastonbury, anyone?”
Speculation about a potential Worthy Farm headline slot has been fuelled by Fender’s huge UK and Ireland stadium concerts next June. He’ll play one night at the London Stadium, before returning to St James’ Park in Newcastle for a three-night run.
For his current tour, Fender is donating £1 from every ticket sold to the Music Venue Trust in support of grassroots venues.
Fender will release his third album ‘People Watching’ on February 21 via Polydor (pre-order/pre-save here). The record was produced by Fender alongside his bandmates Dean Thompson and Joe Atkinson, producer Markus Dravs, and The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel.
The tracklist for Sam Fender’s ‘People Watching’ is:
1. ‘People Watching’
2. ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’
3. ‘Chin Up’
4. ‘Wild Long Lie’
5. ‘Arm’s Length’
6. ‘Crumbling Empire’
7. ‘Little Bit Closer’
8. ‘Rein Me In’
9. ‘TV Dinner’
10. ‘Something Heavy’
11. ‘Remember My Name’
