Ahead of tonight’s headline show in London’s Finsbury Park, North Shields alternative rocker Sam Fender has dropped the B-side “Alright” for the first time on streaming services. You can listen to it below.
Fender originally made the song available as a limited edition 7-inch vinyl for Record Store Day 2022. “Alright” served as the B-side of the single “Long Way Off” and was recorded during the sessions for Tyneside’s favourite son’s U.K chart-topping second studio album, “Seventeen Going Under.” The album received four stars from Rolling Stone, saying, “The stories on ‘Seventeen Going Under’ are deeply personal, but the gusto and care with which they’re tackled and presented make them universal – a skill shared by all the best songwriters.”
The Springsteen-esque title track struck a nerve, and Fender’s vulnerability examining the angst and anger of his teenage years growing up in North Shields became a TikTok sensation. “Alright” continues in a similar vein; Fender told NME, “Alright’ is one of the first tracks from the ‘Seventeen Going Under’ era, It was always a favourite of mine but somehow failed to appear on the album. It deals with themes of cheating death and maturing.”
Fender shared the song’s official artwork on social media last night, July 14. He wrote, “Something special coming tonight.” Later, he posted a link to “Alright’s” digital release, which is now available for streaming and downloading.
Listen to ‘Alright’https://t.co/PJWZOJStqN — Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) July 14, 2022
Fresh off his searing performance on last month’s Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid Stage, Fender will headline his biggest show to date in London’s Finsbury Park tonight (July 15). Fender told NME back in December 2021 that, “It’s the biggest gig we’ve put on so far – 45,000 tickets,” and referring to the acts who have headlined previously, Fender said, “I’m absolutely psyched to be playing Finsbury Park. What a mad night this is going to be. Some huge artists have played there over the years, and it seems crazy that we will headline it next Summer. I’m bringing some friends along too, it’s gonna be wild. Cannot wait.”
The friends he’s talking about are his special guests who are his supporting acts – Fontaines DC, Declan McKenna, Beabadoobee, Goat Girl, Nilüfer Yanya, Rachel Chinouriri, Stone, Heidi Curtis and Kay Greyson.
If you are unable to catch him at tonight’s Finsbury Park show, Fender is playing the following dates in the U.K this summer:
22/7/2022 – Tramlines – Sheffield
23/7 – Truck – Oxfordshire
28/8 – Victorious Festival – Portsmouth
