Boardmasters 2024 Review: Sam Fender tops off Saturday in Newquay with typically passionate display

Saturday at Boardmasters 2024 finished with a blistering display from Sam Fender. Swathes of black and white Newcastle United shirts filled the crowd, with many spotted throughout day two of this festival. 

The sun failed to show itself throughout Saturday, and the dying embers of light were fading from a cloudy Cornish sky when the man from North Shields emerged onto the stage. Fender has two albums to his name, but it may sometimes feel like more from a man who has been a growing name on the UK music scene for several years now.

Opens with always in the kitchen, fire works and smoke to kick things off in style. It was quite the entrance. ‘Getting Started’ was second up and the crowd were in raucous form- the saxophone coming into its own on this one.

Fenders true Geordie accent comes through and a blunt ‘EH’ would have been familiar to any north eastern folk in the crowd. Someone from the crowd - Byron- comes up to help out with acoustic guitar. ‘Let’s see how this goes eh?’ Fender said with a slight bit of nerves.

There was no need however, and Byron fit seamlessly into the band that lines up behind Fender. ‘We’ve got a new album coming’ and played People Watching for the first time for many of us.

A catchy tune, it was a rendition of what we can expect when the new album (which is nearing completion) is released.

Addressing the crowd, Fender said: “This is a bizarre full circle. I played my first big festival here - I played a small stage here 10 years ago and it’s amazing to be back headlining.”

‘Will We Talk?’ has always been a track that fans love hearing live, and the roar from the Boardmasters crowd almost as soon as the intro started ensured this was the case here in Cornwall.

In ‘Spice’ a mosh pit started up, Fender calls for people to look each other and have a good time. Flames accompanied the chorus, on stage and behind the crowd. It was full on rock and roll.

‘Howden Aldi Death Queue’ was abruptly stopped when Fender thought there was another issue in the crowd. ‘Give thumbs up if you’re sound? I’ve got PTSD from when it wasn’t’ straight back into the song which is about shopping in Aldi during the Covid-19 pandemic. A throwback now, in many ways.

Slowing things down as the set approached the hour mark, ‘Spit of You’ remains as moving as when I first heard it live. The tempo had the crowd swaying, and many singing back the chorus to Fender.

Another new song, ‘Nostalgias Lying’ gave another taste of what Fender and his band have been working on for several years. It’s over three years since the last record, and the new tracks indicate that the final complete product will be worth it.

Another delay, this time a bit more lengthy, as two more crowd issues occurred. The stoppages gave Fender a chance to thank the medical staff at the festival.

‘17 Going Under’ was unleashed on an ecstatic crowd, and dozens of people went onto shoulders as far as the eye could see. This is a song that catapulted Fender to where he is today- and the passion which he puts into the song hasn’t faded a bit.

A slightly shortened set was given a suitably rowdy finale with ‘Hypersonic Missiles’. A headline set needs to have a great deal of several elements, and a belting end song with lots of fireworks helps- this is what Fender left Boardmasters with, bringing the curtain down on a superb set.