On the heels of wowing the star-studded audience at Elton John's Oscars bash last Sunday, Sam Fender is pleased to share details of a brand new track, his first of 2020. "Hold Out" is streaming now. It is another track that finds Sam mining he and his band's earliest output that almost made the cut for his debut album Hypersonic Missiles (which hit the UK charts at #1 its first week out) but chose to save it for another moment. Ahead of Sam's attendance at the BRIT Awards where he's nominated for multiple categories this month, it now finds its release.
Listen below!
Sam: "We nearly released "Hold Out" as a single back in the day. It was a staple in our live set when the band first got together. This song is about going out on the lash back home as a form of escape. We always really liked this one but haven't known what to do with it. Here it is.."
While "Hold Out" doesn't signal the start of a second album campaign, it acts as another fine statement of intent for Fender, who had already mapped out the skeletal frame of a second album before Hypersonic Missiles was released last year. A prolific writer with a steely determination to get back into his self-built studio space alongside the River Tyne as soon as a new song takes its shape, Sam has already spoken about his desire to better that first record, he deems a mere introduction of what he's capable of. He needn't be quite so tough on himself, Hypersonic Missiles was released to widespread acclaim, declared as a new British artist with an innate ear for melody and a sharp way with his words that reflected street-level observations with global ambition.
2020 commenced with Sam being hand-picked by Sir Elton John to play at his annual The Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party which took place Sunday, February 8. In the UK, similar to 2019, with Sam is kicking off the new year by preparing for the BRIT Awards later this month. He follows last year's Critics' Choice Award with a nomination this year for Best New Artist.
For an otherwise celebratory year, an unfortunate and frustrating bout of ill health pushed back a handful of sold-out UK live dates late last year, with the rescheduled shows now fixed for either later this month or into the Spring, including two nights of the four at Newcastle's O2 Academy. The remaining night at Brixton Academy now lands after his Spring tour and his sold out shows at Alexandra Palace. As we hurtle in the direction of the Summer, festival slots are already being booked up with a string announced and soon to be announced suggesting that more fans than ever will be able to catch Sam and his band live, and arguably where he excels. All dates are listed below
February 17 - O2 Academy, Newcastle SOLD OUT
February 19 - O2 Academy, Newcastle SOLD OUT
February 24 - La Cigale, Paris
February 25 - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels SOLD OUT
February 27 - Palladium, Cologne
February 28 - Columbiahalle, Berlin
March 1- Halle 622, Zurich
March 2- Paradiso, Amsterdam SOLD OUT
March 5- Docks Club, Hamburg
March 20 - O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester SOLD OUT
March 21 - O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester SOLD OUT
March 23 - Barrowlands, Glasgow SOLD OUT
March 24 - Barrowlands, Glasgow SOLD OUT
March 26 - Alexandra Palace, London SOLD OUT
March 27 - Alexandra Palace, London SOLD OUT
March 31 - Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff SOLD OUT
April 2 - First Direct Arena, Leeds SOLD OUT
April 3 - Utilita Arena, Newcastle SOLD OUT
May 1 - O2 Academy, Bristol (rescheduled show) SOLD OUT
May 16 - O2 Academy, Birmingham (rescheduled show) SOLD OUT
May 17 - O2 Academy, Brixton (rescheduled show) SOLD OUT
May 23 - Warrington, Neighbourhood Festival
May 24 - Newcastle, This Is Tomorrow Festival
June 3 - De Montfort Hall, Leicester (rescheduled show)
June 13 - Isle of Wight Festival
June 16 - Malahide Castle, Dublin (w/ The Killers) SOLD OUT
June 17 - Malahide Castle, Dublin (w/ The Killers) SOLD OUT
July 8 - Madrid, Espacio Mad Cool Festival
July 10 - Glasgow, TRNSMT Festival
August 19 - Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht SOLD OUT
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