Followers have been reacting on-line to Sam Fender’s Mercury Prize 2025 win in his Newcastle residence city – take a look at a number of the responses under.
Earlier this night (October 16), Fender gained for his album ‘Individuals Watching’, which was launched earlier this yr. The album earned the largest opening week within the UK for a British act since Harry Types with ‘Harry Home’ in 2021.
This yr’s version of the distinguished awards ceremony came about on the Utilita Area in Newcastle tonight after the Mercury Prize moved up north from its conventional residence in London this yr as a part of a brand new partnership with Newcastle Metropolis Council and the North East Mixed Authority. The ceremony adopted a week-long regional fringe programme to “have fun the depth and variety of expertise within the north and create alternatives for native expertise”.
Throughout his acceptance speech, Fender shouted out his hometown, saying “this area is the very best area within the nation,” and he did so once more later within the winner’s room, including: “It’s an absolute honour and it’s wonderful it’s occurred up right here, for the primary time outdoors of London. I believe it’s a very necessary factor that’s occurred proper now within the music trade – I believe it’s nice.”
Followers on social media have been reacting to the actual fact Fender gained the award in Newcastle, with one saying: “the hometown boy has gained it.” Newcastle Metropolis Council in the meantime posted: “We couldn’t have stated it higher ourselves,” in response to Fender’s shout out to his residence. “What a metropolis. What an evening. What a winner,” they added.
One other person shared: “So apparent with it being moved to Newcastle this yr. Appears becoming!” Whereas a fourth joked: “If solely there had been some clue that Newcastle musician Sam Fender was going to win the Mercury Prize” subsequent to an image of the Utilita Area.
Take a look at extra of the response to Fender’s win right here:
So apparent with it being moved to Newcastle this yr. Appears becoming!
— Harry Barnes 🥾🌍 (@HarryBarnes) October 16, 2025
Nicely, the house city boy gained it. Who’d have thought.
— Michael (@MTB_Cycler) October 16, 2025
Nicely completed bonny lad, nice achievement 👏👏🫶 #samfender
— Lyndy Mountain (@LyndyMountain) October 16, 2025
Completely deserved! What an artist ❤️
— MrsG (@MrsNJG1) October 16, 2025
Completely unbelievable and properly deserved 👏
— Dean William Smith (@DeanWSmith79) October 16, 2025
God love him he may hardly converse on profitable the Mercury Prize. He’s considered one of ours from North Shields. Congratulations Sam Fender. #MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/kbce9taZxo
— Amanda Hepburn (@AmandaHepburn3) October 16, 2025
If solely there had been some clue that Newcastle musician Sam Fender was going to win the #MercuryPrize 🤣 pic.twitter.com/zRBuwOdkt9
— Kieron Donoghue (@kierondonoghue) October 16, 2025
We could not have stated it higher ourselves 🖤
What a metropolis. What an evening. What a winner.@samfendermusic @MercuryPrize https://t.co/Hkf4gmwG8q
— Newcastle Metropolis Council (@NewcastleCC) October 16, 2025
Fender acquired the trophy from Broadcaster & DJ Sian Eleri who introduced on behalf of the judging workforce – earlier than performing the title monitor ‘Individuals Watching’ from his profitable album once more to a standing ovation.
Accepting the award, Fender led the viewers in a chant of “Toon Toon” earlier than saying: “we didn’t count on this in any respect…I can’t suppose!” He then went on to thank a few of his “excellent buddies among the many nominees tonight” together with CMAT – who was the bookies favorite to win – and Fontaines DC including that he was in “nice firm.” He additionally devoted the award to the late Annie Orwin, who impressed ‘Individuals Watching’.
On releasing ‘Individuals Watching’ earlier this yr, Fender stated the monitor was about anyone who was “like a surrogate mom to me and handed away final November. I used to be by her facet on the finish, slept on a chair subsequent to her. It’s about what was going by way of my head, to and from that place and residential.”
The judging panel stated of Fender: “This yr proved that the album stays the format of alternative for artists to finest current a physique of labor. That, nonetheless, made our job as judges of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the 12 months…more difficult than ever.
“All 12 information on the shortlist labored so properly on their very own phrases, starting from historic ballads to futuristic electronics. After a lot dialogue, nonetheless, all of us selected one album that stood out for its cohesion, character and ambition. It felt like a basic album, which can take pleasure of place in report collections for years to return. ‘Individuals Watching’ by Sam Fender is each melody-rich and expansive, marrying heartland rock with the realities of on a regular basis life and the significance of group.
“These are considerate songs with broad attraction, as cinematic as they’re intimate, making ‘Individuals Watching’ a worthy winner of the 2025 Mercury Prize for Album of the 12 months.”
Within the winner’s room afterwards, Fender added: “We didn’t suppose we had been going to win something so I’m nonetheless in shock. It’s an absolute honour and it’s wonderful it’s occurred up right here, for the primary time outdoors of London. I believe it’s a very necessary factor that’s occurred proper now within the music trade – I believe it’s nice.”
When requested what he was doing after the win, he replied: “I believe we’re going to go for a beer after which I’ve received 4 weeks off – so it’s good to be residence.”
NME gave ‘Individuals Watching’ a four-star evaluation upon its launch in February, writing, “Feeling existential, uprooted and disconnected from his outdated working-class life due to his speedy rise to fame, the British guitar hero channels all of it into his attractive third album.”
The evaluation completed: “Reflective, analytical and susceptible, ‘Individuals Watching’ does precisely what the title might counsel: takes inventory of the characters, buddies and family members who’ve made Fender the particular person he’s at this time. He approaches every monitor with sensitivity as he seems again on his life to this point – maybe even with an inkling of guilt – and contemplates who he could also be subsequent.”
