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Following the release of his new number one album People Watching, Sam Fender is enjoying the latest success in his glittering career. The artist, born and raised in North Shields, has been outspoken about his working class upbringing throughout his work. For example, in his hit single Seventeen Going Under, Fender describes the toll of seeing his mother struggling financially as a child and considering selling drugs to pay their family debt. Raw, unapologetic and gritty, Fender’s lyrics do not shy away from the harsh realities of growing up poor.
As Fender’s career grows, and more elite spaces become open to him, his music has changed to reflect the two opposite worlds that he finds himself caught between. His song, TV Dinner, captures that tension and addresses the novelty that the wealthy find in the experiences of the working class. The song discusses the treatment Fender receives in these elite spaces, the way he is praised for his working class origins but ostracised for criticising them. Not just Fender himself, Amy Winehouse is mentioned in his lyrics as a further example of working class artists exploited and scrutinised. Fender’s anger is palpable, but nowhere more prevalent then when he is told “We’re all the same”.
Perhaps, Fender’s success is a testament to how relatable his experiences, or at least his struggles, truly are. There is a fascination, in spaces where there is so much wealth, such as the music scene, elite universities, even grammar schools, with those of poorer backgrounds. There is a kind of pageantry in coming from poverty for those who have never experienced financial hardship. For Fender, the typical ‘rags to riches’ fairytale is a story that sells, no matter the cost to the individual.
In my own experience, Fender’s words ring true. Being told by someone from a position of privilege that nothing separates your experiences is infuriating because it invalidates what you’ve been through and how hard you have had to work to get there. The same is true of conversations around race, sexuality and gender. Many people can relate to Fender’s anger and I imagine reading this, at least one such conversation comes to mind. Fender’s experiences are relatable to many. The widening gap between classes is driving people to want change, whether those people fall on the left or the right of the political axis. His music encapsulates the bubbling anger at the injustice of wealth inequality in the UK.
In a space that is nearly inaccessible for working class people, Sam Fender refuses to stop talking about his experiences, in spite of the reaction from those he finds himself increasingly surrounded by. Not only admirable, but incredibly heartfelt, Fender’s work deserves its success. The conversation surrounding class in the UK is one that needs to be urgently addressed. Reform’s increased popularity is partially attributed to the lack of action to help the country’s poorest, which needs rectifying but not by the far-right and parties like Reform. Only by addressing this can we have any hope of countering them. Until then, Fender’s new album offers solace to those from working class backgrounds and TV Dinner is a fiercely protective, honest and angry look at what it means to be working class in a space not designed for you.
Edited by: Evangeline Shankland
Image: Sam Fender Leeds 2019, Richard Nicholson, 2019 // CC BY-SA 2.0
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