NEWS
Sam Fender‘s three huge Newcastle shows boosted the local economy by £16.5million, new figures show.
The homecoming gigs took place at St. James’ Park on June 12, 14 and 15, and saw the singer-songwriter and guitarist head back to the football ground after first playing there in 2023.
The sold-out shows made Fender the first Geordie artist to headline the stadium. They also saw him bring out AC/DC’s Brian Johnson and pay tribute to Bruce Springsteen.
Now, it’s been reported that the shows boosted the local economy by £16.5million, with around 150,000 fans heading to Newcastle to attend, per BBC News.
According to figures released by investment agency NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI), the shows brought in extra revenue for bars, restaurants and hotels.
The figures are based on NGI data gathered from visitor and supply chain spend, generated via visitor surveys, hotel occupancy data, average room rates and spending in retail, restaurants and pubs.
Elsewhere at the Newcastle gigs, Fender brought out his former guitar teacher Phil Martin for a cover of Thin Lizzy’s classic track ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ – something seen in previous Newcastle shows – and also introduced the Easington Colliery Brass Band for ‘Remember My Name’.
He was also joined on stage by CMAT and Olivia Dean, as well as his brother, Liam.
The shows follow on from Fender playing at the 82,500-capacity London Stadium the week earlier, as he kicked off his huge UK summer tour. For the gig, he was joined by Dean for a rendition of ‘Rein Me In’ – which they later released an official version of. He also used the show to give a passionate pro-Palestine speech.
“It breaks my heart, and it’s probably more relevant now than it was then. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but we’ve got Doctors Without Borders with us at the show tonight,” he said.
“They do incredible work out there, they’re legitimate, real heroes who are out there helping the people, and they’re gonna be with us on all of our summer shows.”
In August, Fender will play three big outdoor gigs in Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast, as well as top the bill at Ireland’s Electric Picnic. Find any remaining tickets for Fender’s UK and Ireland headline dates here.
In a four-star review of his most recent album, ‘People Watching’, NME shared: “Reflective, analytical and vulnerable, ‘People Watching’ does exactly what the title may suggest: takes stock of the characters, friends and loved ones who have made Fender the person he is today. He approaches each track with sensitivity as he looks back on his life so far – perhaps even with an inkling of guilt – and contemplates who he may be next.”
NEWS
Kelly Osbourne has revealed that she returned to drinking following the death of her father, Ozzy Osbourne, last year.
The television star shared that grief left her feeling like “a shell” of the person she once was, causing her to drink alcohol again after the Black Sabbath musician passed away in July 2025.
“I was a shell of myself. I couldn't speak. I couldn't eat. I couldn't do anything. I was just empty,” Kelly told Paul C. Brunson during Tuesday’s episode of his We Need To Talk podcast.
“Broken in every way a human being could possibly be broken and completely unable to even take care of myself. I was at ground zero. I started drinking again. I lost my mind. I couldn't handle it.”
The Osbournes star, who has spoken publicly about her long history with alcohol and drug addiction, also confirmed that she has now remained sober for eight months.
“I can honestly say today I'm eight months sober,” she declared. “I have the most incredible people around me. I closed my circle because I lost a lot of friends because people don't like sadness and they expected me to be over it. I will never be over it.”
Kelly has discussed her experiences with addiction on several occasions and disclosed in 2021 that she had started drinking again after maintaining four years of sobriety.
During another part of the conversation, the 41 year old looked back on the final exchange she shared with the Crazy Train rocker, which took place three days before his passing.
“He sat me down and said, 'Tots, I need you to know something... No matter what happens in this life, you can live the rest of your life knowing that there was one man on this planet that truly loved you, that truly loved you for every single thing you are. And that man is me,'” she remembered.
“And I started to cry, saying, 'Please don't talk like this' because he said, 'You know, I'm not going to be here forever and I know you struggle with people and believing you are loved. But I love you more than anyone.' Three days later, he was gone.”
