10 Breakout Indie-Rock Stars Of 2019's Summer Festival Season

We should've seen this coming from his Brit's Critics Choice Award win at the end of last year really. By the time summer had rolled around, he had already bagged huge performances at Jimmy Kimmel's and Graham Norton's talk shows, and he was only getting started.

Spending the summer teasing his first album, he thrilled audiences on both sides of the pond with sets at Lollapalooza, Glastonbury and TRNSMT. Finally releasing Hypersonic Missiles (the album not the weapon) last week, the North Shields rocker truly delivered on the anticipation, with an uninterrupted play on Radio X and a debut at number 1 on the UK charts.

And with good reason. Bringing Springsteen-era influences back into modern rock, he packs a punch with a roller-coaster of an LP, complete with distinctly resounding vocals and even some saxophone moments that, although risky, never felt out of place. It allows the powerful political statements like the album title track to be placed alongside vastly different tracks like the more innocent Will We Talk and deeply personal The Borders and Dead Boys.

When 2019 comes to an end, and he wraps up his headline tour after opening for Liam Gallagher, we'll be able to reflect back as this being Sam Fender's year.