The band were due to join Fender at his shows in London and Newcastle later this year
The War on Drugs have announced they’ll no longer be performing with Sam Fender later this year due to “personal scheduling issues”.
The band were due to join Fender on his stadium tour this summer, with a London show planned on June 6, as well as two stops at Newcastle’s St James’ Park on June 14 and 15.
However, they shared the news today (April 23) that they’ll no longer be joining, writing on Facebook: “It is with great disappointment that, due to personal scheduling issues, The War on Drugs are unfortunately unable to perform with Sam Fender in London and Newcastle this June.”
No further information has currently been shared, but CMAT will still be supporting at all dates. You can find any remaining tickets for the shows here, and a full list of dates further below.
Posted by The War On Drugs on Wednesday, April 23, 2025
MAY
24 – Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2025, Sefton Park, Liverpool
JUNE
6 – London Stadium
12 – St. James’ Park, Newcastle
14 – St. James’ Park, Newcastle
15 – St. James’ Park, Newcastle
AUGUST
16 – Wythenshawe Park, Manchester
22 – Edinburgh Summer Sessions @ Royal Highland Showgrounds
28 – VITAL @ Boucher Road Playing Fields, Belfast
The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel notably produced Fender’s latest album, ‘People Watching’, and the two recently reunited to perform together at Coachella.
Reflecting on the experience of recording with Fender, Granduciel later said: “I fell in love with him. He’s a savant.
“Sam and the boys came out in March for about five weeks,” he added. “We worked on some stuff they’d already started, then we worked on some more stuff from the ground up. It was awesome. I’d never met Sam, but we’d communicated once or twice.”
‘People Watching’ was given a glowing four-star review from NME, which described it as a “reflective and perceptive indie rock from North Shields’ shining star”. “Feeling existential, uprooted and disconnected from his old working-class life thanks to his rapid rise to fame, the British guitar hero channels it all into his gorgeous third album,” it read.
In a four-star review of Fender’s concert in Leeds on December 4, NME wrote: “There’s no radical shake-up of the setlist, but rather a sense of self-confidence to double down on a reliable approach that’s served him well.
“While tonight affirms that ‘People Watching’ material will have to fight for its place, a successful balance of old and new could hoist Sam Fender’s career to unprecedented heights. Glastonbury, anyone?”
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