Sam Fender played a sold-out show for 2,500 fans at Newcastle’s drizzly Gosforth Park. Socially distanced show had groups of five at 500 individual platforms set metres apart. Telegraph said the gig was "a strange affair, but in their 500 little bubbles, fans had an absolute ball". NME writes that "hometown hero lifts gloom with life-affirming, groundbreaking show". Chronicle has pictures from the show. The Libertines, Two Door Cinema Club and Supergrass will follow suit at the venue over the summer.

Lewis Capaldi this week starts a tour that will see him play some of the UK’s biggest venues, Sam Fender and Dermot Kennedy will soon play two shows each at Alexandra Palace, Billie Eilish plays four O2 Arena dates in July, Scottish troubadour Gerry Cinnamon is set to play arenas, castles, parks and even Glasgow’s Hampden Park stadium. How did it come to that? - some artists have huge followings thanks to social media, without having to play small shows. This often means they haven’t had the time to work on their live show and develop as artists used to. Guardian wonders whether it's damaging to young artists to be playing such big venues so early in their careers.

Sam Fender has been announced as the winner of the Brits critics’ choice award. Figures in the media and music industry are asked to nominate artists they believe will enjoy future success but who haven’t yet scored a UK Top 40 album. Fender specialises in energetic, glossy garage-rock topped with his soulful vocals, the lyrics tending towards […]