'Canny chanter' Sam is really on top of his game

IT WAS a moment two years in the making. After an epic weekend of shows in 2023, Sam Fender further cemented his status as a bona fide rock and roll icon on his return to St James' Park on Thursday night.

- SIMON DUKE

The man who has given Geordies anthems to sing in their bedrooms, in karaoke bars and on the Bigg Market once again proved that his ever-growing back catalogue is 100% made for stadium terraces in the first of three huge shows on home turf.

Those sun-drenched evenings of June 2023 only seem like a second ago, when the whole of Newcastle city centre was in the grip of Fender Fever, with black and white tops on every corner and Greggs turning into a dive bar for the occasion.

And, after all the build-up, it was time for Sam and his bandmates to return to the venue that served them so well two years ago.

Given just how amazing round one was back then, you couldn't blame Sam if he was feeling any pressure to make sure night one of his latest St James' Park run was just as good. But there were certainly no signs of any nerves as, with the sun yet to set, he arrived on stage at Newcastle United's famous stadium.

The intro to an extended Local Hero followed by the Champions League theme couldn't have been more perfect if it tried and from then on in, this was all about a North Shields lad showing just why he has become someone that the North East could not be more proud of.