By Stephanie Mackey
When Sam Fender was announced as the 2025 Mercury Prize winner for People Watching, it felt like something bigger than just another music award. As someone who frequently gets involved in the North East music scene, hearing him call our area the ‘best region in the country’ and show pride in his roots felt more inspiring than most musical milestones in recent years. For the North East, the award could be seen as a symbolic turning point: a recognition of not only Fender’s talent, but also the cultural energy of the North East finally getting its time to shine.
People Watching was praised by the Mercury judges as standing out for ‘its cohesion, character and ambition’, which couldn’t ring truer. Songs like ‘Chin Up’ and ‘TV Dinner’ are deeply powerful due to both their melodic qualities and their raw honesty. Personally, however, the highlight of People Watching was the use of the Easington Colliery Band for the accompaniment on ‘Remember My Name’. The use of this brass band harkens back to the North East’s industrial roots and gives voice to his family’s working-class heritage; it is therefore all the more important that he chose to use a County Durham band, granting visibility to North East musicians and musical tradition.
For the first year, the Mercury Prize celebrations were held outside of London, instead being held at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena. This is incredibly significant in recognising that the North East is often overshadowed. The region has long produced talent such as James Arthur, Sting, and Maximo Park, but is rarely framed as a cohesive ‘scene’ in the same way as places like Manchester. The region’s industrial decline and economic inequality have often shaped its identity, with musical output often framed as isolated success stories rather than evidence of a living, breathing (yet underfunded and overlooked) ecosystem.
There is a possibility that this could become a catalyst for wider improvement. Firstly, visibility in itself matters. When a globally recognised artist succeeds without abandoning his background, it validates the ambitions of those in his wake, changing the idea of ‘making it’ from a dream into a feasible possibility. Moreover, this visibility could attract public arts funding and more touring investments, giving venues like Newcastle’s Cluny, Sunderland’s Independent and Stockton’s Georgian Theatre the help they need to nurture the next wave of talent. The Mercury Prize itself has directly facilitated this through their 2025 Mercury Fringe, creating workshops and performance opportunities for upcoming local artists. A highlight of this initiative was seeing Middlesbrough’s Finn Forster, fresh off supporting Stereophonics on tour and playing the main stage at Kendal Calling, both perform and discuss the importance of support for North East creatives on BBC Look North.
However, we must remain realistic in our optimism. A single win for the North East cannot overturn decades of centralisation within the music industry. Many labels, media outlets, and funding opportunities still lie in the South; without investment in North East musical infrastructure, there is a risk that this victory will remain as a symbol rather than cause tangible change. We must, then, turn our heads towards the projects creating positive opportunities that are already present within the North East. For instance, regional festivals The Gathering Sounds and Stockton Calling occur yearly, bringing big names in the indie scene to headline local venues, such as Keo and Circa Waves, therefore bringing paying music lovers into local music venues. In doing so, they also generate gigs for upcoming musicians, such as Newcastle’s Labyrinthine Oceans, Teesside’s Marina Josephina and Durham’s own Jam Tub. There are also groups such as Generator, an organisation committed to uplifting the North by providing opportunities to grow and progress for those pursuing music.
In an interview following his win, Sam Fender was asked what this achievement means for other North East musicians, to which he told the interviewer to ‘ask them’, placing the conversation back into the hands of grassroots artists. This year’s Mercury Prize encouraged critics and audiences to look beyond the centralised creative hubs and reframe the map of British music. Whether this moment becomes a watershed or a footnote depends on what happens next and whether the industry decides to finally act. But, for now, support North East venues, stream local bands – and who knows? Not only might you get bragging rights when your new favourite artist blows up, but you can help facilitate the dreams and livelihoods of talented creatives who may have been overlooked otherwise.
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