Local rockstar Sam Fender gave a shout-out to the North Shields pub where his impressive music career began during an interview on the BBC's One Show this evening.
The Brit Nominee, who announced today that he'll be performing at the prestigious music ceremony, recounted how he was spotted by his now-manager at the Low Lights Tavern on the Fish Quay.
The iconic pub, which is the oldest in North Shields, has already made Sam's 2019 Critic Choice Award into a beer pump.
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Speaking to presenters Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas, Sam explained: "After I won the award in 2019, we changed the award into a beer pump.
"I want to do it again, because there's another four pumps or more that we could use.
"I was discovered at the Low Lights by my manager. He's from North Shields too, and he had come home after another of his artists Ben Howard won a Brit Award.
"He came into the pub, where I was pulling pints aged 18, after I'd failed my A Levels.
"My boss,who looks like Winston Churchill, told me to get out from behind the bar. Normally he would tell me off for playing guitar, but he knew he was a music manager.
"And here we are eight years later. It's been a long slog, but hopefully we will take an award home."
Sam Fender said he is "buzzing" for his performance at the Brit awards at London's O2 Arena on Tuesday, February 8.
This year's bash already looks like being one to remember for the singer as he is up for three awards and hotly tipped to take home at least one.
His newest album 'Seventeen Going Under' is up for album of the year, and he is also in the running for artist of the year and best rock/alternative, with fans able to vote for him to win the latter on TikTok.
He said: "I think it'll be lush if we win that last one, it would be great to know that our fan base is active.
"I think they put the vote on Tiktok to purposefully alienate my army of uncles and aunties in Newcastle who aren't on social media" he joked.
Sam was also quizzed on his bromance with Stephen Graham, who starred in his recent 'Spit of you' music video.
He explained: "I kinda accosted him at a hostel a while back, before I'd released the first album.
"I told him he's a national treasure, and he said 'are you Sam Fender?'
"I thought what! You know me? I was buzzing. He was so sweet, and it turns out he and his wife had listened to my first EP.
"We became pals, and down the line he asked me if I had any songs for a film he was working on."
The film is a one-shot drama called Boiling Point, which features Sam's song 'Poltergeists' at the end.
He continued: "I rang him up a while later and said do you want to star in my music video? I scratched your back, now you scratch mine."
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