NEWS
Sam Fender has previewed two unreleased songs at his Boardmasters show last night (August 3) – watch fan-filmed footage below.
The Geordie recently played a show at Plymouth Pavilions, where he gave two unreleased songs their live debut: ‘People Watching’ and ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’. Fender said the two would appear on his upcoming third album.
It will be Fender’s first new music since January’s soulful ‘Iris‘, taken from the Jackdaw soundtrack, and his Noah Kahan collaboration ‘Homesick‘. He has also teased new music with The War On Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel.
‘People Watching’ sees Fender reflect on passerbys he sees on the street, “envious at the glimmer of hope”, whilst ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’ appears to be a narration of Fender returning to his hometown: “These streets break my heart / There is pain and failure, the desperate yearning / For all my friends who are gone / Those were the times where we all had nothing”.
Take a listen to ‘People Watching’ and ‘Nostalgia’s Lie’ below:
Following his intimate Plymouth show, Fender has teased more dates to come, writing in response to his sold-out Boardmasters show:“Wow, that was rapid. More dates coming soon x.”
Fender also recently gave an update to his incoming third album, admitting he “rushed” to release ‘Seventeen Going Under‘.
“We have been recording and recording and making loads of stuff but it got to the point where I thought, ‘We don’t need to get this out yet. We need to get it right’,” he said.
“For the second one [‘Seventeen Going Under’], we rushed to get that out and the third one we started rushing and I thought, ‘No, we have got to take the time’.
“I want to do the best I possibly can. I’d rather it be late and great than early and shite,” he added. “What we have got so far I am absolutely over the moon with but I want to give it that bit more time and more thought.”
The singer last released ‘Seventeen Going Under’ in 2021, which NME gave four stars. “If ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ was the sound of a young boy kicking out at the world, ‘Seventeen Going Under’ sees Fender realise that it can kick back a lot harder, and he counts every blow and bruise. But he seems to have found that time passes and that most wounds – even the deepest – will eventually heal, if he can allow them to,” it read.
NEWS
Jacob Alon recently opened up to NME about collaborating with longtime inspiration Kae Tempest, while also sharing why they continue to admire artists who speak openly on political and social issues.
The Scottish singer songwriter spoke with NME backstage at the Ivor Novellos last Thursday, May 21, where they picked up both the Rising Star award and Best Song Musically and Lyrically for ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’.
The recognition follows a huge year for Alon, who also earned the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2026 BRITs and became the first Scottish artist to win BBC Music Introducing’s Artist of the Year title.
The success arrives alongside the release of their highly praised debut album ‘In Limerance’, which came out last year and led to a support slot on Kae Tempest’s recent ‘Self-Titled’ tour. During those shows, the pair performed a moving rendition of George Michael’s ‘Freedom’ together. Speaking backstage at the Ivors, Alon also confirmed that they have recently been in the studio with Tempest working on new music.
“Kae is one of my absolute heroes,” they said. “We’ve been in the studio this week actually, writing together. I’ve never felt closer to another creative mind before.”
Although Alon avoided revealing too much about the collaboration, they described the experience as “the biggest privilege to witness his genius and to be in the presence of something raw and beautiful”.
They went on to say they are “really excited for the world to witness” the music they have been creating together.
The ‘Of Amber’ artist also spoke with NME about the importance of using their platform to stand up for causes they care deeply about. In recent months, Alon held a Palestinian flag during the BRITs and appeared at the Trans Mission event in London, where they defended those being “scapegoated by people who want to distract everyone from the real problems in society”.
“I’m endlessly inspired by those that use their voices and their platforms to speak out about what matters. I’m trying to do that myself,” Alon explained to NME. “It’s not easy to know what the right thing to say is sometimes, but I think the effort made to do that is always worthwhile.”
The remarks echo comments Alon previously shared with NME at the BRITs earlier this year, where they said they believe “music is important and can make a difference”, while also teasing a brighter direction for future releases compared to their emotional and introspective debut album.
“Going into making something new, it’s already different. It’s a different place to create from because now I know what’s out there,” they shared, joking that the next era may lean into punk influences and that all the praise might finally go to their head.
Later this summer, Alon is set to join the packed line up for Lewis Capaldi’s headline performances at BST Hyde Park. The concerts take place on Saturday July 11 and Sunday July 12, with Conan Gray, The Vaccines, Absolutely, Nieve Ella and more also appearing across the weekend. Find any remaining tickets here.
At the 2026 Ivor Novellos, other major winners included CMAT for Best Album, Fraser T Smith and Kae Tempest for Best Contemporary Song, and Sam Fender taking home Songwriter Of The Year.
Rosalía was named International Songwriter Of The Year, while Radiohead’s Thom Yorke received the Academy Fellowship award presented by Harry Styles. George Michael was also honored posthumously with the Academy Fellowship award.
