Live Report: Sam Fender kicks things into high gear on the Electric Picnic main stage

On a crisp, clear Saturday night at Electric Picnic, Sam Fender stands tall beneath the twilight sky, flanked by his band and a tidal wave of expectancy. No super flashy stage set ups here. No gimmicks. Just a Geordie with a guitar and something to say - and the vast crowd at the main stage hangs onto every word like scripture.

Sam Fender at Electric Picnic on August 30th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

From the first gritty strum of 'Will We Talk?', Fender charges into the set like a man on a mission. His voice, gravel-edged and emotionally charged, tears through the night air, landing somewhere between Springsteen-esque heartland rock and the urgent honesty of a bedroom confessional. It’s a sound that feels both cinematic and deeply personal. 

Hits like 'Getting Started' and 'Spit of You' are met with roars of recognition and arms thrown skyward, while 'Something Heavy' delivers its devastating emotional payload and a rare moment of collective breath-holding amid the festival chaos. Fender has a rare talent for making an open field feel intimate, like he’s whispering hard truths to every single person at once.

The emotional peaks are clearly undeniable, and nowhere in these 90 minutes did the set ever feel too sonically uniform. Fender makes deft use of anthemic build-ups and big, surging choruses - a streamlined balance of  light and shade structure the set in an incredible way and give the biggest moments even more room to soar.

Sam Fender at Electric Picnic on August 30th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

There’s no questioning the power of Fender's presence. He’s sonically confident but never cocky, political without being preachy and generous with his crowd - often stepping back to let them sing whole verses. When 'Seventeen Going Under' finally arrives, it felt less like a song and more like a shared catharsis. 

His band deserves credit too: tight, dynamic, and never flashy. Every guitar solo, backing vocal and drum fill was delivered with a sense of purpose, not ego. 

Closing with the title track 'Hypersonic Missiles,' Fender sent the crowd into the night sweaty, smiling, and hoarse - exactly how a Saturday headline slot should leave you. A communal release.