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.”
Samsung has officially answered the $15million lawsuit filed against them by Dua Lipa, denying the claims made by the singer.
The artist filed the lawsuit against the electronics giant earlier this month, accusing the company of using her image without approval to help market televisions.
The complaint focuses on cardboard TV packaging released by the brand in 2025, which allegedly featured a photo of the singer without compensation or permission being granted beforehand.
According to the lawsuit, her legal representatives attempted to stop Samsung from continuing to use the image, but claimed the company responded in a “dismissive and callous” manner. The filing also referenced reactions posted by fans on X/Twitter, where some users admitted the packaging influenced their interest in buying the TV.
“I’d get that TV just because Dua Lipa is on it,” one fan wrote, while another posted: “I wasn’t even planning on buying a tv but I saw the box so I decided to get it.”
The lawsuit includes allegations of copyright infringement, violations tied to California publicity rights laws, federal Lanham Act claims, and trademark related accusations.
Samsung has now issued a public response to the case and pushed back against the allegations made by the ‘Dance The Night’ hitmaker.
In a statement, Samsung explained: “The image of Dua Lipa was used in 2025 to display content from third-party partners available on Samsung TVs.
“Originally, the image was provided by a content partner for the free streaming service Samsung TV Plus. It was only used after the content partner had given explicit assurances that all necessary rights had been obtained – including use on sales packaging.”
The company also stated that it has “great respect for Dua Lipa” along with the intellectual property rights of artists, adding that it remains “open to a constructive solution” with the singer.
At this point, Dua Lipa’s representatives have not publicly addressed Samsung’s latest response.
Elsewhere, the singer recently curated the London Literature Festival 2026 at the Southbank Centre, surprised fans with an unexpected appearance during Tame Impala’s headline performance at The O2, and was also announced as part of the cast for a new A24 comedy titled Peaked.
