Sam Fender is a man of many talents. After being spotted performing in a pub in his home town in the northeast when he was just a teenager, he went on to appear in ITV drama series Vera, and in the CBBC show Wolfblood. Music was his passion though and after signing a record contract he dropped his debut EP Dead Boys in 2018 and followed it up last year with his first full-length album Hypersonic Missiles, which received some excellent reviews. Along the way, he was named as one of BBC’s Sounds of 2018, and picked up the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards.

His latest release is something a little different. A Christmas single with a twist that shuns the commercial nature of the modern festive season, Fender has chosen to record a version of the 1970s folk outfit Lindisfarne’s track Winter Song, which appeared on their Nicely Out Of Tune album. Fender has often cited Lindisfarne’s lead singer Alan Hull (who sadly passed away in 1995) as an inspiration of his, and the band hail from the same part of the world as he does.

Writing on his official Facebook page about the release, Fender explained: “I’m so excited to share this with you, I’ve recorded a cover of Winter Song by Alan Hull, for those who don’t know him, Alan was the main writer in the band Lindisfarne (certified Geordie legends) I wanted to do a Christmas song, I wanted it to be close to my home and my heart. For me the words are more relevant this year than ever, Christmas won’t be the same for a lot of people this year, that’s why I picked this song. Alan truly was one of the most fantastic and underrated writers of his time, I hope I’ve done it justice, I’m really proud of it. It's available everywhere now.”

It’s a stirring and emotive song, with Fender’s powerful vocals accompanied by some stripped back and simple electric guitar. Accompanying the song is a lyric video (which you can find below), which was produced in association with the homelessness charity People Of The Streets, and features a collection of photographs captured by homeless people. Fender is also supporting The Big Issue magazine and a special edition with him on the cover with be available through his online store from 4 December, with proceeds going to the magazine and its vendors.

Watch the official lyrics video for Winter Song here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.