Sam Fender at 3Arena, Dublin on Monday, December 2nd 2025

A young crowd flooded the 3Arena for Sam Fender’s sold out show on Monday. Newcastle jerseys peppered the audience in anticipation of Fender’s return to the stage for the opening night of his ‘People Watching’ tour. In the interim an animated eye flashes behind the stage in intervals – the visual motif for Sam Fender’s third album ‘People Watching’ which is due for release in February of next year.

With a slew of outstanding support acts joining Fender for this tour including Ireland’s sweetheart CMAT and The War on Drugs, English rockers Wunderhorse take on support duties at the 3Arena. The quartet arrive on stage in the wake of two electrifying performances in Dingle at Other Voices festival, following the release of their critically acclaimed second album ‘Midas’ in August.

Opening with their second album’s title track ‘Midas’, Wunderhorse’s set builds energy slowly, picking up half way through with electric performances of first album hits ‘Purple’ and ‘Teal’. “She dreams purple and anger / and roses exploding in circles around her grow louder” rings the chorus of the former. “See you next time, here” proclaims frontman Jacob Slater, before a blowout performance of ‘July’. Slater ends the set dramatically, crashing cymbals with his guitar before throwing it across the stage.

When the time is right, TV static floods the screen and Sam Fender takes his place in the middle of the arena stage. “No better place for starting than Dublin, eh?”, he declares. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been on tour”. Aside from one off performances, the ‘Seventeen Going Under’ singer has taken a break from the stage over the last number of years to work on his new album. He is nervous on stage, and tells this to his audience.

Fender debuts his new direction with an impressive performance of his epic six-minute single ‘Wild Long Lie’. Propelled by his band of backing musicians the Newcastle singer road tests his new music with ‘Arms Length’ from Fender’s upcoming album receiving its live debut, while ‘Nostalgia is Nigh’ is given its third live outing.

The ‘People Watching’ tour is a baptism of fire for Fender. New and unheard tunes intersperse the setlist in tandem with classic favourites. Despite his apparent stage-fright, Fender presents himself as a natural showman who will undoubtedly shine brighter as he becomes re-accustomed to performing in front of a crowd.

In what was a no doubt settling moment on the first night of the tour, Fender enthuses “I hope you’ve learned the words to People Watching” and is met with a crowd of punters who had indeed learned the words. “I people-watch on the way back home / Everybody on the treadmill, runnin’ / Under the billboards, out of the heat” harks the crowd back to Fender in unison.

Enduring as Fender’s most popular song, ‘Seventeen Going Under’ rings triumphant at the conclusion of the main set. The feeling of triumph lingered as the 3Arena was filled with fire and confetti for the powerful ‘Hypersonic Missiles’.

Humble to his core, Fender thanks Wunderhorse, crediting Jacob as a genius before departing. Fender’s band were integral to the power of the show, creating a huge sound for the songwriter which was needed to fill the arena space. Sam Fender has an exciting road ahead in the release and tour of his third album and promises a show that emits catharsis and emotive joy.