The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Got too much empathy for that one. He was spotted by his manager when he was 18. Ive just turned 18. Grant Moon is the News Editor for Prog magazine and has been a contributor to the magazine since its launch in 2009. WebHealth. And you sometimes worry that maybe that means you are too. He is young, white, wields a guitar, and possesses a pair of cheekbones the actor Eddie Redmayne could open letters with. Im not that big in America though Im going to try and change that, like! Seventeen Going Under My father and I can drink beer and talk about music until the cows come home, but when it comes to expressing a grievance, it always ends up in a shouting match. The performances are now available to watch on demand. After recovering from the vocal cord illness, he only played a Some of my favourite songs are the ones I write the lyrics for first, but theres something that comes out of you when you write a melody its like your soul talking, youre finding it through pure feeling.. 'The family is growing! In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. No, there are no records mentioning Sam Fender has an illness called cancer. Video'Trump or bust' - grassroots Republicans are still loyal, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. Writers like Kendrick Lamar the explanation of their surroundings is so real and visceral. From its yearning title track, to urgent cry from the heart Aye, to dark, seventh-chord heavy The Leveller, Seventeen Going Under is a remarkable record, delivered with Fenders earnest, keening vocal not unlike that of The Killers Brandon Flowers and packed with melodies, ear-catching guitar riffs, and the kind of sensitive, poetic lyrics rarely heard in the poppier sphere these days. Sometimes therapy is like Pandoras box you pull stuff out and it actually makes you feel worse at first. This is the mise-en-scne for Sam Fender's coming-of-age autobiographical new album, Seventeen Going Under. Its just a few days after his triumphant sets at Reading and Leeds Festival and hes still a bit groggy, but when he brandishes his brand-new acquisition a beautiful 1959 Fender Jazzmaster he visibly perks up. It's about political polarity and how I feel a lack of identity with any of the political parties currently in my country. You start to understand yourself, and that can lead you to disliking yourself even more. ", About a mile from that stoop is the Low Lights Tavern, where Fender tended bar after high school, and it's also where he played his music in the early days. It was produced by Thom Lewis, aka "Bramwell Bronte," Fender's longtime collaborator who also produced Hypersonic Missiles. The title song documents a dark time when Fender's mother was battling health issues and couldn't make ends meet. The song peaked at ', Incredible:It was a big night for Sam, who won the Rock/Alternative act award. Thats not good, but were in a dangerous, dangerous place, politically. More info Sam Fender has opened up on his mental health struggles after admitting the Covid-19 pandemic left him "pretty miserable". The chart-topper has been busy of late filming in both Druridge Bay and North Shields for his recent single Seventeen Going Under. So, it appears time has done the songwriter well. In many ways, Fender is the quintessential 2019 pop star. Fender grew up in this small village, which he calls "a drinking town with a fishing problem." But if someone's playing I can get up and play lead on any song theyre playing, just by hearing it.. We recognised Raye's dress a mile off! You havent got a job, youre only 17; a lot of [the title track, Seventeen Going Under] came from that. Lyrically it centres on a moment when Fender saw his father kiss his grandmothers forehead after she died: It was love in all its agony, every bit of me hurting for you/Cos one day thatll be your forehead Im kissing/And Ill still look exactly like you. The hit-maker - who scooped the Best Rock/Alternative act gong hours earlier - clutched a can of beer as he headed inside with songwriter Raye. It's a banger that cuts right to the struggle of feeling helpless as a teenagerbeing old enough to know what's going on but being too young to fix anything. Musically, this insistent tune rides on Fenders trademark three-part indie-rock guitar arpeggios (played on the record by him and his co-guitarists, Dean Thompson and Joe Atkinson), which give movement to the main E/F#m/D/C#m/F#m/D progression. Im an ear player and cant read music at all. "I think it's such a refreshing rehash of sounds we already knowit's such a refreshing rehash of '80s music. But whereas most players would use their fourth finger for that B-string note, Fender uses his ring finger, leaving his pinky free to add extended notes elsewhere as needed. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, He was stuck in the horror mental health struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic. Im going through a phase of abstinence right now, he confides. This is about depression and rising out of it. Sam has alluded in previous interviews to a health condition that hes not yet ready to fully disclose, and tells NME that he spent three months shielding at the Blyth Valley [a constituency a few miles from North Shields] went Tory [in the 2019 general election]; its been a Labour seat since its inception. BA1 1UA. With two hit albums in the last two years but no touring because of the pandemic, Sam Fender was ready for Leeds Festival 2021. When conversation turns to a special guitar he just bought, Fender lights up. Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) September 12, 2022. His father and older brother (nine years his senior) are also musicians who gigged around town, obviously influencing Fender's journey down the troubadour road. But it was getting to the point where the music wasnt enough. I want to go out to the pub, to see my mates. I needed my escapism. Writing was therapy before I got therapy, he tells Apple Music. pair of cheekbones the actor Eddie Redmayne could open letters with. He admits it is affecting his He revealed that music has been boon to his life. Its about my dad. A lot of things that you pass off as insignificant parts of your life end up becoming very significant parts of your character. Witch, Harridan, Harpy, and new insults like Karen and Terf. A decade later, hes one of the UKs best and most successful singer-songwriters: his 2019 debut album Hypersonic Missiles went to No 1, he won a Brit award, and his knack for writing songs about 21st-century disaffections marked him out from cheerier peers such as Ed Sheeran and George Ezra. People shouldnt live miserably, they shouldnt have to. And he is all set to attend all live sessions throughout the world for his song Seventeen Going Under. When the first lockdown descended, an existing health condition required him to isolate and shield inside his home for three Published: 10:44 GMT, 9 February 2022 | Updated: 15:10 GMT, 9 February 2022. That means I can do this as well [laughs]. Radio X revealed Sam Fenders health is improving than before and he is overcoming his illness. Last To Make It Home is his favourite track on there., Wellers choice is an acoustic-style ballad, its simple Aadd9/E/Dadd9 chord structure nodding to the Americana/folk vibe of Ryan Adams a Fender influence circa his 2001 album, Gold. Some kid, 17, probably going through a boatload of similar shit that you experienced, will be front and centre, screaming these stories as if it's their last night on Earth.". I dont quite hate myself as much. Im going through a phase of abstinence right now, Look, Im not going to capitalise on what happened, because theres a guilt in being a survivor. Sam Fender has announced he is to take a short break from touring to look after his mental health. Immediately, youre there, and its romantic. I think the reason Im getting any recognition is because people are missing that. They ripped apart every safety net for people in that position. Send a photo of you and your loved one(s) to [emailprotected] by midnight tomorrow and selected photos will be featured in my live shows over the next couple of weeks. He kissed her. All rights reserved. Thats the exact sort of songwriting I love. The title song documents a dark time when Fender's mother was battling health issues and couldn't make ends meet. Its in the perspective of somebody whos actually thinking that they might take their own life. Even worse, many such slurs aren't from men but 'I couldn't do it without you': Victoria Beckham poses with her whole family after her PFW show - as she Brooklyn Beckham puts on a loved-up display with wife Nicola Peltz as they head back to hotel after Cruz Beckham supports his mother Victoria as he carrying his very own VB handbag on the way to her show Like father, like daughter! In "Dead Boys," Fender vulnerably grieves fallen mates, victims of the male suicide epidemic in Northern England. He laughs, and casually hits a D on his new, well-earned Jazzmaster. "I was doing therapy at the same time to try and get my head screwed on, and I ended up dissecting my whole childhood in therapy. I feel like Ive got my integrity back, Im more honest with myself about who I am, about my weaknesses and strengths. I was quite angsty with the fact that my mam had moved away. Throughout the course of 2013 Fender played a series of gigs across the country supporting a number of artists including Ben Howard and Willy Mason, until That's my go-to.". Its about insecurities, how jealousy and feelings of emasculation and low self-worth can really, really destroy a relationshipand had done with my relationships. I think it's quite a unanimous feeling in a lot of places at the moment. I really connected to the lyrics, all these songs about wanting to escape a rundown seaside town. It's got a gold scratch plate, and it came with a packet of strings from 1959 from New Brunswick. Web"Will We Talk?" The North Shields-born star had been due to play the O2 His songs are full of yearning and serious earnestness. It was a big night for Sam, who won the Rock/Alternative act award. Read about our approach to external linking. "It's a strange move, but once you start getting the muscle strength, it's a constant thing and it's quite hypnotic," he says. Its insane: the whole town recognises me, everyone wants selfies. Besides, he also suffered from various mental illnesses since his childhood. Or why not treat yourself? Copyright 2023 New award:Adele won the first ever genderless Artist Of The Year gong after the male and female categories were scrapped. In a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge concert in early 2020, Fender did a solo performance of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," fingerpicking the melody and bass line, while nailing a rather ambitious vocal. "That back lane leads into this estate called Meadow Well, which was an estate that had 80 percent unemployment where we grew up. EXCLUSIVE: Head teacher of leading grammar school is sacked for sending parents a list of striking teachers. Here we are back in 1994 ? Press Esc to cancel. Taking a slow-burn route of building a following for six years before releasing a full-length likely contributed to that album instantly having wings, debuting at No. Paradigms Not at the pub I worked at I had a different job which led to us meeting some very charming but very naughty people. Fender grew up in North Shields, the coastal town eight miles outside Newcastle, with his parents before they separated, and then with his mother alone. Thematically, Fender, who is 27, gazed outward on Hypersonic Missiles, but he goes deeply inward on Seventeen Going Under. Why arent I writing about any of that? 2023 BBC. How Prince Harry's chat with guru who compared Hamas terrorists to Jews who battled the Nazis has appalled JAN MOIR: Goodbye Ken, the world always seemed safer with you on the airwaves, Abstaining from masturbating RAISES risk of anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction, study warns. "And then as I got older, I realized at school there was always a couple of kids that could shred, and could really, really play. Thats why I started doing therapy. Getting Started I was full of self-loathing with massive impostor syndrome, and then started hating myself even more because I was like: Why am I so miserable when Ive got this amazing stuff happening?. I was alone, so there was a lot of reflection, a lot of looking back at the past," he recalls. I felt like now Im famous and in a rock band Ive got to play the part but I just realised that I was paying attention to arseholes. It's idiot proof and I'm an idiot [laughing]. However, the North Shields star said he was "super excited" for Australia in late November and "everything to come in 2023", including June's homecoming gigs at Newcastle United's St James' Park, for which tickets sold out within minutes. Sam Fender Seventeen Going Under (Live from Brixton), Mainly Oasis (@mainlyoasis) November 15, 2021. The star took to social media to tell fans he and his band were How remorseless Stephen Bear continued his arrogant antics up until Do not sell or share my personal information. Its toxic masculinity at its finest. The 27-years-old singer prefers to make his personal life stay out of the public eye. Author: Scott Colothan and Georgie Holland Published 7th Dec 2022. Those dead boys are always there, theres more every year, but ends with a celebration: Im damned if I give up tonight / I must repel the dying light. Got to stick to your guns, man., Listening to Springsteen helped me find my own voice. You can learn as much from ABBA as you can from The Beatles. Its really an anthem for losersbecause weve all been a loser once. Dont get me wrong, nothing wrong with that, he says, some of the best songs in the world are co-written, but Im proud to say that Ive done all this by myself. Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I lost another friend to suicide last year. The Leveller His rescheduled appearances at UK record stores are also affected. On Mantra, you write about another kind of malaise: fame. I dont know about you, he says, but a lot of the time I dont want to be me, so I always liked the escapism that acting offered.. Spit of You is a love letter to my dad. 1 album in the U.K. when Seventeen Going Under came out in October 2021. Witness one of his signature chorus-and-whammy solos at 12:50 on "The Borders" from 2019's Hypersonic Missiles. He remains silent when it comes to sharing his personal life. The BRIT Awards sparked controversy last year after ditching the traditional male and female categories and switching to gender-neutral gongs for the first time in its history, causing naysayers to brand the event 'woke'. Safety pin embellishments have become synonymous with the work of Versace (who could forget the iconic dress worn by Elizabeth Hurley circa 1994?!) The songs are a baring of the heart, a showcase of human struggle. Thats insanity. I've always had loads of free guitars because I've always been sponsored by them. As a teenager, he lived with his mother, a nurse who had to stop work because she suffered from fibromyalgia, a condition that causes pain and fatigue. So Im constantly having to work out ways of successfully playing my shows without killing my voice. Sam Fender Niall Lea. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Hes made some well-known friends since his star rose, some who know a bit about songwriting themselves, including Elton John and Paul Weller. Read about our approach to external linking. Photo by Chux on Tour Photography@chuxontour, "But I've just bought a ridiculous Jazzmaster. Get You Down You give your parents a hard time because of course they will do things that upset and hurt you. Fender's upcoming US headline shows will be cancelled, as well as gigs with Florence and the Machine and the Life is Beautiful Festival. His immune system issues affected his touring. I just know that Im lucky that Im still here, that Im still alive, and that Ive got good prospects. Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. The rest of 2022 he'll be headlining arena tours, as well as supporting the Killers on four dates in London and Dublin. These stories, theyre mine, but that frustration with the DWPhow youre trapped as a person whos fallen on a hard time by your governmentis a unanimous story for so many millions of people in this country. Sam Fender has announced he is to take a short break from touring to look after his mental health. Im still learning, Im still in the trenches at the moment, but I feel like theres a clear goal in sight. "I like a bit of compression, just to kind of give you that bite, and I love an old Electro-Harmonix Small Clone, just the original cheap chorus pedal.