Musician Sam Fender has been told by fans to prepare for the "worst crowd of your entire career".
The North Shields-born singer recently announced a stadium tour in the UK, playing Newcastle United's St. James' Park and West Ham's London Stadium next June. A series of sold out tour dates are set to kick off next month. But fans are warning the 30-year-old musician, whose hits include Hypersonic Missiles and Get You Down, to be wary of one crowd in particular.
Taking to Twitter /X with a screenshot of the festival announcement for Coachella, Fender fans rallied around the songwriter as they briefed him on what they believed was one of the worst atmospheres for live music.
In a now viral post to the social media app, one fan screenshot the festival lineup and wrote: "Sam Fender are you ready for the worst crowd in your entire career." Fender, who sold out two dates at St James' Park last year, is set to play the festival on April 12 and April 19, when the likes of Clairo, Charli XCX and Green Day are also playing.
Some are hoping this is a turning point for Fender in his rise in the United States, with one writing: "No he’ll completely win them over, once they hear his outstanding voice. This is gonna be the start of him headlining Madison Square Garden."
It is not the first time a British act has fell foul of the Coachella festival. Blur frontman Damon Albarn furiously told an uninterested crowd "you'll never see us again," at last year's festival. One Fender fan commented his appearance at the festival would be a "blurchella pt2," referencing the lacklustre response received by the Parklife hitmakers. The band had previously played the festival in 2013 to a similarly muted response.
Other Brit acts have struggled with the quieter Coachella crowd including The Stone Roses, who pulled their second show of the lineup and were replaced by Blur in 2013. Pulp too struggled to win the crowd over on their first reunion tour back in 2012. The band played the festival as part of their final shows together on their tour before reuniting a decade later for their current tour, which will see the band perform at the Sheffield-based Tramlines festival for the first time.
Coachella 2025 is set to feature an array of UK and Irish acts including The Prodigy, Pete Tong and Kneecap. Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone are set to headline the three weekend dates spread across the festival. Fender will play the festival on Saturday April 12 and Saturday April 19, while The Prodigy will feature on the bill for April 11 and April 18.
English (US) ·