Sam Fender has welcomed singer Brooke Bentham into his band, revealing that “her voice is all over the next album”.
Fender took to Instagram to unveil the latest member of his band, writing: “The legend that is Brooke Bentham has joined the band!”.
He went on to say that the “first time I met Brooke I learnt how to sing”, adding: “I walked in to the bar to the sound of the best cover of ‘dancing in the dark’ I’d ever heard, and from that moment we were best mates (and I ripped off the way she sings and played that cover to death in almost every gig I’ve ever done) but hey! It fucking worked!!!”.
“Anyway, 13-14 years later, she’s joined the band!” he added. “Her voice is all over the next album, it’s been an absolute pleasure singing with her again and I can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve made.”
Meanwhile, Bentham herself posted on Instagram to share the news, saying: “I met Sam when I was 16 and we were on the busking circuits in Newcastle. He’s been a best friend and one of my biggest supporters (as you probs know) ever since. I can’t really describe how special it feels to be joining the band. Everyone has been so welcoming and encouraging, I’ve felt nothing but love.
“After leaving Shields ten years ago, to now being surrounded by geordies again. It’s a very lovely, lovely thing,” she continued. “Feels like home. Whenever Sam plays me new songs, I’m always just in awe of him. Every single one of the boys (men) in the band is a diamond. Singing together feels like magic.
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“I’m so incredibly excited for what is to come. Sam I love ya brother woohoooooo Xx”.
Brooke Bentham has released two albums, her debut album ‘Everyday Nothing’ and its follow up ‘Sunday Self’ both in 2020. NME rated ‘Everyday Nothing’ four stars, adding: “Bentham may have struggled writing this album, but the results exude confidence and ambition. Whilst it draws heavily on the slacker sounds of the 1990’s, Bentham brings the genre firmly into 2020 with her fresh take on what it’s like to create in a time where inspiration can be hard to find.”
Speaking to the South Shields singer at the time, Bentham reflected on her friendship with Fender, saying: “We became good friends, gave each other advice and helped each other along, I think. When I first moved to London and started playing gigs, I looked to Sam for advice in terms of how to navigate it all.”
She also spoke on working with The Coral’s Bill Ryder-Jones, adding: “I’d never worked with a guitarist before. Working with Bill was exciting: he made it fun to make music again. He taught me to persevere rather than give up, which I think is what I was doing.”
Meanwhile, Fender has given an update on his upcoming third album, saying of his next album in May: “We have been recording and recording and making loads of stuff but it got to the point where I thought, ‘We don’t need to get this out yet. We need to get it right’.
“For the second one [‘Seventeen Going Under’], we rushed to get that out and the third one we started rushing and I thought, ‘No, we have got to take the time’.
“I want to do the best I possibly can. I’d rather it be late and great than early and shite,” he added. “What we have got so far I am absolutely over the moon with but I want to give it that bit more time and more thought.”
He also spoke about his next record in an interview with NME about his huge Newcastle gigs, describing his new music as “very pretty” with a strong “singer-songwriter” vibe.
“If I try and force myself to write stadium songs, we could end up fucking it I think,” he admitted. “Instead, I want to write about the stories that I have and the place that I’m mentally at in my life at this point. And I’ve had a lot to write about.”
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