An Angel in Lothian: Sam Fender’s Edinburgh Takeover

After everything I’d already seen that summer, I thought I had a good idea of what to expect from Sam Fender live. But Summer Sessions in Edinburgh felt bigger from the start, like one of those nights that was always going to stick.

The gig was previously meant to be held in glasgow a few months prior, with the opener being Wunderhorse. However after Sam fender's first night in glasgow he had to cancel the second night due to illness. Lucky for some, we were given tickets to this event to make up for it. Although i was disappointed, especially with not getting to see Wunderhorse and Sam Fender in the one (an event fans were calling 'FenderHorse'), two artists i love, being able to still see sam fender and Olivia Dean who i had just started discovering at the time, definitely made up for that.

The whole evening built itself up properly too. Olivia Dean as support didn’t feel like a warm-up act at all. Her set had its own atmosphere, softer but still completely captivating. Songs like 'Nice to Each Other' and 'The Hardest Part' gave everything this warm, almost calm feeling before things properly kicked off later on.

By the time Sam Fender came on, that calm was gone. There’s something about outdoor gigs like this, huge open space, thousands of people, that makes everything feel louder, more alive. From the opening run of songs like 'Angel in Lothian', 'Spice', and 'Will We Talk?', the crowd was already locked in, every lyric shouted back like it meant something personal.

What stands out with Sam Fender live is how anthemic everything feels. Songs that already sound big somehow get even bigger. 'The Borders' from his 2019 debut album 'Hypersonic Missiles' was one of those moments, everyone singing along like it was theirs as much as his.

And then came the moment everyone was hoping for. When Rein Me In started, there was that split second where you could feel the anticipation, and then Olivia Dean walked back out. The reaction was instant. It wasn’t just excitement, it was that kind of disbelief turned joy where everyone realises they’re actually getting the moment they wanted. The two of them together just worked. The contrast in their voices gave the song even more weight live, turning it into something softer but somehow more powerful at the same time. It was the perfect song for a late summers evening. A song everyone there knew, whether you were a big fan of Sam Fender or not as it had taken over social media platforms such as TikTok.

From there, the energy only kept building. 'People Watching' from his newest album 'People Watching', 'Spit of You', and 'Seventeen Going Under' all landed exactly how you’d expect. Massive, emotional, and completely taken over by the crowd. It wasn’t just people watching a performance, it felt like everyone was part of it, like the songs belonged to the crowd as much as the stage.

There’s a certain kind of atmosphere at gigs like this where everything just clicks. The weather, the crowd, the music, and this was one of those nights. Loud but not chaotic, emotional without ever slowing down too much, and full of those moments where you just stop and take it in because you know it won’t feel exactly like this again.

I had seen Sam Fender previously at festivals but never his own gig, where everyone there was there solely because they loved him and his music. I think that made it more special for me. The crowd was more responsive, more energetic than i had experienced at a festival he was playing it.

By the end, it didn’t feel like just another summer show. It felt like one of those gigs you measure others against afterwards. Walking out of it, there was only really one thought: this is exactly why people keep coming back to see Sam Fender live.

Sam Fender at Summer Sessions, Edinburgh September 2025

Summer Sessions setlist: https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/sam-fender-summer-sessions/pl.u-b3b81G4tyWry8JD

Similar artists and songs: https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/sam-fender-similar/pl.u-RRbVzPRC3A93aqR