Sam Fischer is an enigma. When the Sydney soul-slash-pop singer took to the stage at Electrowercz in Angel this week, in prescription glasses and wearing what can only be described as luxury pyjamas, the questions remained – is he a massive pop star or not?
The show doubled as a launch party for his debut album (I Love You, Please Don’t Hate Me) and was a rare chance for his London faithful to see their hero.
While the fans (described by Fischer as ‘family’) lovingly belted back every word, the venue helds so few that Fischer was able to address them personally. He was told his self-care anthem Carry it Well “saved my life,” by one and that he was a “f***ing legend”.
Right from the start he was bombarded with requests for This City, his breakout, sleeper hit that, thanks to hidden hand of TikTok, has racked up 600 million plays.
That huge figure immediately put him at odds with the intimate venue. But, then, it is harder than ever in 2023 to quantify what success means for a musician.
On the one hand, Fischer has 5.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify; his new album features Demi Lovato and Meghan Trainor thanks to the fact he has Sony RCA behind him. Yet, at 32, he is yet to release an album and only This City has bothered the UK chart.
Fischer’s commanding stage presence and frantic, energetic crowd engagement on Wednesday showed a man who wouldn't look out of place at, say, Brixton Academy if not the O2. As he serenaded the front row and whipped them up, it felt like the 350-capacity venue could not contain him. But then he told the crowd he was not used to headlining concerts; he's always the opening act, and that he couldn't imagine even being here only a few years ago.
The question remains; is this man famous or not?
Accompanied by a “full band” (a guitar / piano player, plus a drummer) Fischer bounded around to his opening, poppier numbers Afterglow, Hopeless Romantic, and I Got to Live.
He gave slower numbers a full introduction, on the struggles of lockdown, moving to LA and self doubt - all factors that shaped I Love You, Don’t Hate Me which was written over several years. Talking about his sometimes fragile state of mind, though, Fischer was as open and relatable as his distinctly non-pop star appearance.
The highlight of the 12-song set was the two duets, with his wife Erin filling in for the absent Lovato on the boppy What Other People Say and for the Aussie singer Amy Shark on High On You.
The energy inevitably waned and towards the back end of the set Fischer began a countdown of the number of songs he has left. “Four songs left…” “Three songs left…” and all too soon for those assembled, it was time for This City, which – for all the hype – is actually not actually a standout.
Fischer might have been mobbed inside the venue but once outside he could probably walk untroubled down Upper Street. This was apparently his only UK date of a hurried album promo tour, for which the only other dates are in Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles and New York.
The disjointed ins and outs of Sam Fischer, the brand, might never continue to confuse. But as for Sam Fischer, the performer, fans are left with no doubt that the combination of a hearty voice, moral grounding, and sense of humour make this unlikely pop star the real deal.
