Sam Fender & Young Jesus
April 5, 2025
Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Vancouver, BC
On April 5th, English singer-songwriter Sam Fender brought his People Watching Tour to the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, BC. It was the first date of his North American leg of the tour, in support of his new album People Watching (2025).
Joining Fender was the Chicago indie rock band Young Jesus. The band has been around since 2009 and has seen quite a change to the lineup as lead singer Josh Rossiter remains the only founding member. They have released a total of seven studio albums. Rossiter cracked jokes with the audience and introduced songs from their newest album, The Fool (2024).
At 9:00 pm, Fender took the stage, accompanied by his band. He opened with “Dead Boys,” greatly showcasing his vocals before the band kicked in, getting the crowd off their feet. The musicianship was tight, with band members often switching between instruments, even playing saxophone and trumpet. Providing background vocals, Brooke Bentham immensely added to the sound and complemented Fender’s vocals perfectly.
Sam Fender performed quite a few songs off People Watching, including “People Watching”, “Arms Length”, “Crumbling Empire”, “TV Dinner”, “Little Bit Closer”, and “Something Heavy.” He of course also played fan favourites “Will We Talk”, “Hypersonic Missiles” and “Seventeen Going Under”.In today’s day and age of overproduced music, it’s refreshing to see a young artist like Fender gain great success with a more raw sound.
Seeing the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre packed with young faces is a testament that the alternative scene is very much still alive, and people want to see true live music.
