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‘The north east is the best region in the country’.
Those were the words roared by native Geordie Sam Fender after he picked up the Mercury Prize for his album People Watching at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.
The city, which hosted the prestigious awards ceremony for the first time outside of London, is certainly showing why he has a point.
An explosion of emotion rippled across the building when BBC Radio 1 presenter Sian Eleri announced the North Shields star had won. It wasn’t just a triumph for Sam – it was a victory for the entire city.
It’s testament to the growth of the north east’s music and creative arts scene. There were more than 700,000 visitors to the region for music alone last year, generating over £360million, according to UK Music’s Hometown Glory 2025 report.
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Those figures are expected grow over the next thanks to the spotlight shone on Newcastle thanks to the Mercury Prize and the Mobo awards held in February.
Newcastle indie singer-songwriter Melanie Baker
Since I moved to Newcastle, I found my community, my band members, my voice, my space in the industry, and all the incredible independent venues. All the opportunities I’ve had have all been because of the community in the north east.
For me, the scene is about the people, the amount of love everyone has for each other. It’s not as competitive as other cities. Everyone genuinely wants the best or each other, champion each other, and support each other.
Stand out venues for me include The Cumberland Arms in Ouseburn, The Grove, and The Cluny – it’s an incredible venue.
Having the Mercury Prize in the north east is really exciting. To have that wider industry coming here. I think it’s often an overlooked place. We’ve had huge, incredible artists like Sam Fender, who have really paved the way for a lot of newer artists, and showing the world how much potential there is here.
The Generator organisation, which helped arrange the Mercury Fringe events before the ceremony, has been at the forefront of nurturing and developing north east talent for more than 30 years and has been a major player in transforming the area into the creative hotbed it is today.
Its chief executive Mick Ross told Metro: ‘Having the Mercury Prize in Newcastle can be a lighthouse moment. It’s absolutely fantastic for the region. It’s great for tourism and inward investment.
‘I want the north east to be seen as the place to come and make music, or be involved in the music sector, across the country.
‘I think Sam (Fender) and Jade have been good at this but you want every kid to think “I can stay here” andhave a career in music’.
While he admits Newcastle’s music scene is ‘almost thriving’, Mick stressed grassroots venues still need help.
He added: ‘We need to fix that and continue to lobby for lower business rates, improved opportunity, and changes in VAT regulation.’
A thriving music scene awaits just a three hour journey on an LNER train from London’s Kings Cross.
Independent venues like The Cluny in the trendy Ouseburn district and The Grove in Byker, which held the Mercury Fringe closing show, are providing the platforms for the next Sam Fenders to shine.
Newcastle music promoter Anthony Thompson, owner of Notion Live Events
There has been a massive narrative about grassroots venues at risk, especially after Covid and the cost of living crisis. What’s really important about these places is that the acts people spend hundreds of pounds to go and see at stadiums and in arenas need to develop in independent venues.
I think Newcastle and the north east in general feels like it’s always been a bit slept on. To have something as significant as the Mercury Prize up here is really important for a number of reasons. It nationalises us as a city in the music world, and agents, labels, managers all based down south will be watching and see how we can put on a show.
There was a phrase coined manage decades ago saying it’s a bit grim up north. But Newcastle and the north east has a lot going for it. There’s a lot of passion, a lot of culture, beautiful buildings. It’s a working class area and what comes from that is people putting some elbow grease into their hopes and dreams.
Charlie Dancer, owner of The Grove, said while hosting the Mercury Prize was positive for Newcastle, there needs to be a focus on how venues continue to be supported.
He said: ‘The reality is, without grassroots and independent venues, there is no pipeline to arena level. It’s a place where bands and artists can find their feet, work themselves out, and be more experimental with music.
‘Last year, the Mercury Prize went to English Teacher. They played here the year before to a half-filled room. Immediately after that, they went from playing the Grove to playing the Boiler Shop, which is a difference of 800 tickets. You need venues to offer a springboard. Without the first one, there isn’t the second one.
‘Having the Mercury Prize in Newcastle is brilliant. It brings a cultural significance to the city. On the other side of the coin, it’s what happens after this event. It’s all good and well people are coming up for the event, but what difference does that make for smaller venues or small recording studios? When venues close down, they don’t come back. We need to protect the spaces because they are places people build their identities and discover who they are.’
Harry Hanson, from Leeds-based Adult DVD who closed the Mercury Fringe party at The Grove
Grassroots venues are essential for any artist. Leeds is good for that because we’ve for the Brudenell Social Club, we’ve got Wharf Chambers, we’ve got Hyde Park Book Club…but with other places closing recently, it makes it a bit scary.
It’s integral for emerging talent coming through. We’re not big or anything but we wouldn’t even be at this level if we didn’t have grassroots venues. It’s essential, it’s integral, for sure.
Singer-songwriter Finn Forster is one of those rising artists making a name for themselves. The Middlesbrough native supported The Stereophonics in Europe and headlined his own UK tour earlier this year.
He told Metro: ‘I think there’s a huge buzz about the north east.
‘I’m hoping the Mercury Prize is going to be a real moment where people can see that it’s a worthy area of holding such a prestigious event.’
Newcastle singer-songwriter Rye, who performed at the Mercury Prize fringe closing event
The scene is amazing here. It’s just getting better and better.
I’m originally from Lithuania and I moved to the UK nine years ago. I lived in Newcastle before briefly living in Manchester but I came back here because I fell in love with the place. The people are so friendly and I’ve found my community.
When I go on stage, they’ll come and support me. I see faces that are smiling. It makes you feel good on stage.
There are some amazing venues dotted around Newcastle – Cobalt (Studios), The Grove, Zerox…
When I moved here, I felt like the scene was very much rock-based, but now I’m finding there’s more jazz, there’s more fusion of different things. There are a lot of pop artists writing really cool, hooky stuff.
Sybil Bell, founder and chief executive of Independent Venue Week, told Metro: ‘The Mercury Prize coming here is a defining moment. Not just because it’s putting Newcastle on the map, it’s bringing the creative community together.
‘We’ve advocated it for so long but I think it’s really important for the major organisations in the music industry to come out of London, find out what’s going on in these scenes, connect with gig goers and people interested in working in the industry, and making them realise the music and creative industries are for everybody – it’s not just a London thing.’
Rory McKeown, Metro’s assistant editor
It was impossible not to be overawed witnessing Sam Fender receive the most prestigious prize in UK music in front of his home crowd.
Hairs stood firmly on end the moment Sian Eleri named the North Shields native the recipient of the 2025 Mercury Prize for his third studio album People Watching. Fontaines DC’s Romance and CMAT’s Euro-Country were favourites, so the roar from the Utilita Arena crowd upon hearing Sam’s name was extra special.
It was the first time the awards had ventured out of London in its 33 year history and the city made sure it was going to be a celebration.
A week of Mercury Prize Fringe events were held in venues across the city thanks to the Generator organisation. Maximo Park’s Paul Smith, a previous Mercury Prize shortlisted artist, held a lyrics masterclass at Pop Recs, while the Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music held a showcase at the Gosforth Civil Theatre.
From the city centre down to Ouseburn and Byker, a buzz could be felt throughout Newcastle. Buses and signposts were adorned with Mercury Prize advertising while famous department store Fenwick dedicated its shop window to the 12 nominees and hosted its own fanzone featuring live music to celebrate the north east’s creativity.
The city and the north east firmly embraced the accolade of first Mercury Prize hosts outside of London – and did more than enough to cement its status as a thriving creative hotbed outside of the capital.
A jubilant Sam Fender told the Utilita Arena: ‘The north east is the best region in the country.’ Based on this past week of celebrations, it’s hard to question him.