It feels that November, despite being Aus Music Month, has been dominated by the Poms. Fresh on the heels of Oasis selling out stadiums and making every second middle-aged man cry about a band they never thought they’d be able to see live again, Sam Fender has returned to our shores and delivered a set that very well should receive as many applauds and accolades as the English brothers from Manchester.
With a full bill in support of his Sydney show at The Showring (including Day We Ran and the Redland Bay legends Beddy Rays), main support came in the form of the ever-brilliant Holly Humberstone. Coming back to Australia for the first time since releasing her debut album Paint My Bedroom Black, Humberstone brought along a plethora of new tracks intertwined amongst plenty of fan favourites during her tidy 40-minute slot. From “Paint My Bedroom Black” to “Dive”, Holly treated the Sydney crowd to a couple of first listens off her upcoming album, due for release in 2026. Announcing it was probably her favourite of the new tracks, “Cruel World” felt like a hit in waiting and one that could take control of the airwaves by this time next year. Bookending her set with “The Walls Are Way Too Thin” and the best-received song of the night, “Scarlett”, based on her support slot, I get the feeling Sydney will welcome Holly Humberstone back with arms wide open any time she wants to come this side of the globe.
With the show a sell-out and more Newcastle United Football Club jerseys in sight than Sydney retailers have ever sold, naturally, the night was primed to be a huge headline slot from Fender. Despite Mother Nature doing its best to deliver a very non-summery forecast, the vibes were high as Fender and his band entered the stage a little before 8:30 pm (as an aside, can we have more headline slots start this early, please? Shows finishing before 10 pm are a god-send). Quickly starting with the sprawling “Angel of Lothian” and snappy “Will We Talk?”, they quickly followed it up with “Getting Started”. At this point, the night was in full swing, the drinks were flowing in the crowd, and Fender and co were hitting their straps.
In the more than six years since I first saw him at Splendour In the Grass 2019, Fender’s presence, stage setup, and general chat have come along in leaps and bounds. In 2019, he played with a sax backing track; in 2025, he’s brought along a saxophonist and trumpeter – both proving to be massive MVPs. You could tell his confidence as a musician is currently sky high, as his transitions were swift and clean, the music was on point, and all was delivered with first-class banter (a surprise Star Wars and TikTok reference was nestled well between an impromptu hoedown). As a fan, this is the type of progression you want to see in musicians; it felt natural and not forced.
The remainder of the main set featured a broad selection of tracks spanning his entire discography, with “Arm’s Length”, “Crumbling Empire”, “Wild Long Lie” and “People Watching” all featuring from 2025’s People Watching (“Talk To You” off the deluxe version also got a play), “The Borders” (with the help of a fan from the crowd on the guitar) was a nice throwback to his debut, while some of the best from 2021’s Seventeen Going Under also had their moment in the sun. “Spit of You” was the sentimental peak of the set, “Howdon Aldi Death Queue” was chaotic, while main set closer “Seventeen Going Under” felt crisp, complete and literally had the crowd begging for more at its conclusion.
Returning to the stage for a brief encore of my personal favourite “The Dying Light” and fan favourite “Hypersonic Missiles”, the entire set felt like a coming of age for the artist (at least in Australia). After touring extensively this year, Fender noted multiple times how grateful he was to be loved so much in Australia, and promised to return soon enough with a new album in tow. Based on how the set panned out and was received by the Sydney crowd, I’m sure we’d welcome him back tomorrow if he wanted to.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Sam Fender concludes his Australian tour this week. For more information and to buy tickets, head HERE.
Images from the Melbourne show at Sidney Myer Music Bowl by Eloise Coomber – see more HERE
