“I think we’re gonna have fun tonight”, shouts Sam Fender in front of a sold out crowd, fresh from his career-defining St. James’ Park shows. It’s the middle of his set and the rain beats down in typical Irish fashion, but that doesn’t hamper the mood of the 15,000 people captivated by his presence.
The Geordie’s first Belfast headline show can only be described as a triumph, with incredible support from the supremely talented Wunderhorse and ever-growing Inhaler. Kicking it off was the former, to a surprisingly large audience despite being on shortly after doors opening.
Opening with ‘Butterflies’, lead singer Slater performance was emphatic, almost fooling you into thinking they were the main event. Fan favourites ‘Leader of the Pack’ and ‘Purple’ were also given a run out, as well as unreleased track ‘Superman’ which sounded ethereal live; fans can get excited for a studio version.
Following on was Inhaler, greeted to the stage with a plethora of screams close to the front. Opener ‘These Are The Days’ and ‘Dublin In Ecstasy’ both sounded crisp amongst the cheers. Closing the set was ‘My Honest Face’, and singer Hewson’s presence and delivery was powerful. It’s likely they’ll have won a few new fans in what was a more than impressive support slot.
Fans weren’t left waiting long for the main act to commence. As the intro to ‘Will We Talk’ began and Fender walked out with his band, clouds unleashed and poured from above. The crowd were only encouraged to dance and sing in the rain, as guitars blared and an electrifying atmosphere started to spread. Following the opener was ‘Getting Started’ and ‘Dead Boys’. “I wanna see you all move when this kicks off”, said Fender before playing the latter, a highlight on the setlist as always.
Fender’s band sounded as excellent as the man himself, with the standout being Johnny Davis on saxophone sounding especially impressive on tracks such as ‘The Borders’ and ‘Mantra’.
Although the encore was missing the charming ‘Saturday’, Fender’s two biggest hits proved their worth once again (in case it was ever doubted). ‘Seventeen Going Under’, the song that shot the Geordie to stardom had all 15,000 people singing, meanwhile ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ saw off a night in the rain with confetti and cheers. Fireworks shot into the sky as the song came to its climax, and at the centre of it was a Geordie feeling right at home.
Written by Niall McGreevy