Sam Fender - People Watching Tour
Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena — 25/11/2025
Adelaide brought a real UK-summer vibe to the Entertainment Centre as thousands flocked in to see Sam Fender take to the main stage. Coming off a near sold-out UK tour last year — plus a sold-out London Stadium show earlier this year where he performed to over 78,000 people — his Adelaide show felt like a homecoming away from home. The arena was a sea of Newcastle United shirts, paying tribute to Fender’s support of the club and his collaboration jersey released alongside his latest album ‘People Watching’.
Roughly half the crowd turned out to be British, confirmed during a segment of the show where Sam asked, “Who’s from the UK?”
Esha Tewari opened the night with a 25-minute solo set. The Sydney-raised artist delivered a beautifully soft, note-perfect performance that captured the crowd’s attention instantly. Her gentle, flowing vocals, touching on past experiences brought people together and set the perfect tone for the night ahead.
Soon after, Holly Humberstone took to the stage with a more uplifting, energetic set. Her music driven strongly by drums and guitar had the crowd moving from the first song, filling the arena with a real dance-along vibe. Midway through her performance, Holly surprised the crowd by bringing out Joey (guitarist for Sam Fender’s band and her partner) and Johnny (saxophonist for Sam Fender’s band) to help perform her track ‘Down Swinging’. Holly made full use of the stage, constantly moving and showcasing her distinct indie-rock vocals with confidence and flair.
At exactly 9pm, Sam Fender hit the stage with his six-piece band, opening with ‘Angel in Lothian’ from his second album ‘Seventeen Going Under’. The energy lifted instantly — and song two, ‘Will We Talk?’, had the entire crowd belting out the chorus, setting the tone for an electrifying, high-energy set.
Sam spoke about how meaningful the Adelaide stop had been for him on this tour. He’d had the chance to see Australia’s native wildlife wombats backstage prior to the show, calling it one of the core memories from his time here. He also shared his love for Hahndorf, saying how beautiful the area is, and revealed that his cousin, Paul Fender, has lived in Hahndorf for the past 25 years. Throughout the night Sam jokingly kept promoting Paul’s painting business — telling the crowd to “go through Paul Fender” if anyone needed painting done.
For song six, Sam pulled up a young local musician named Andy (@andymcmusic) from the front row to join him on ‘The Borders’. Andy didn’t miss a single note while playing alongside him — a huge moment for the crowd and for him.
Midway through the set, Sam shifted gears again, lifting the energy even higher with ‘People Watching’. From the floor to the back row, the entire arena was on their feet. From that point on, the atmosphere kept building as his British indie-rock sound blasted through the speakers.
His final four songs left the crowd buzzing. ‘Seventeen Going Under’, which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart in 2021, had everyone singing at full volume. He then slowed the pace with ‘The Dying Light’, performing half the song alone on keyboard.
For the second-to-last track, he brought Holly Humberstone back out to join him for ‘Something Heavy’.
To close the night, he launched into ‘Hypersonic Missiles’, with the whole arena jumping, arms in the air, screaming every lyric to the politically charged anthem. Confetti rained down over the crowd as the final chorus hit, ending the night with a massive, unforgettable moment.
Gallery https://musicfestivalsaustralia.com/event-photos/sam-fender-people-watching-tour
Thanks to Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Secret Sounds, Great Company Collective and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for having us along.
Review & Photos by Gavin Karjalainen for Music Kingdom Australia
