What happens when the stage never ends? In “I’m Always on Stage,” Sam Fender gives us an uncomfortable answer.
That intro on Sam Fender’s “I’m Always on Stage” is perfectly, beautifully sad. Just acoustic guitar and space.
It arrives on the deluxe edition of Sam Fender’s Mercury Prize-winning People Watching (released December 5th), and it’s the North Shields songwriter at his most stripped back.
Originally featured as a vinyl-only release for Record Store Day 2025 on the Me And The Dog EP, “I’m Always on Stage” has since become a fan favourite at his recent Australian shows.
The track opens with fingerpicked guitar that sounds almost hesitant, like Fender’s working through something in real time.
His voice sits right on top of it, nowhere to hide. When he sings “If you see me smiling, it’s forceful and violent,” the contrast between the quiet instrumentation and what he’s actually saying catches you off guard.
Production from Fender and Markus Dravs stays out of the way. Brooke Bentham’s backing vocals drift in occasionally, but they don’t soften anything. This isn’t dressed up. It’s just Fender working through the mess of being constantly visible: fame, substances, the whole performance of it all.
The “I’m Always on Stage” lyrics meaning becomes brutally clear in lines like “There’s gack and drink and steroids on the counter / Do you think you’re some kind of rock star?”
That line lands because it’s accusatory but also directed at himself. The follow-up, “I did all that when I was on the dole,” makes it clear that money didn’t fix anything. The struggles just came along for the ride.
The wobble in his voice around 2:23 is what breaks this wide open. It’s not a big moment, just a slight crack that makes everything feel uncomfortably real.
Suddenly you’re not listening to a song about performing, you’re hearing someone actually struggling to perform.
Originally on the Record Store Day vinyl Me And The Dog, the track’s been showing up in Fender’s recent Australian shows.
There’s something almost uncomfortable about watching him sing “I’m always on stage” while literally standing on stage in front of thousands. He knows.
The song is not about Fender conquering anything here. He’s just trying to keep his head above water while everyone watches him do it.
So when the lights come up and the crowd still stares, we realise: the show never stops. And neither does the weight of performing it.
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