‘Life is better in Seahouses today!’ – reaction to Brit Award winner’s visit as Sam Fender heads for fish and chips
Sam Fender pictured with Scott Priestley’s son Arthur inside Lewis’s Fish Restaurant in Seahouses, Northumberland. Credit: Scott Priestley
A visit to Northumberland by new Brit Award winner Sam Fender made the catch of the day for surprised locals as snaps show him at a local chippy. The North Shields star, who just won two more Brit Awards at the weekend, was spotted up the coast in Seahouses where he popped in to the family-run Lewis’s Fish Restaurant.
And it was quite a family moment for Sam too as he was accompanied by his mam, step-dad, gran – with dog – and his girlfriend. He ordered the popular Lewis’s lobster which sent staff scurrying to replenish sold-out stock and while Sam waited he made time to have a photo taken with the owner’s son.
Scott Priestley, who runs the fish and chip shop, says he was out collecting son Arthur from school when he had a call from staff about the order on Tuesday from their famous customer. Lobster is a big seller there and they had run out so staff had a bit of a scramble to dig out the fresh supply from the freezer, just caught by Scott’s fisherman brother.
Sam Fender and his band at the Brits(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
“Somebody must have recommended us to him,” says Scott of the surprise visit which soon saw word spread across the village, bringing a crowd to the shop by the time he left. “You don’t usually get people like that in Seahouse!” says Scott.
As Sam’s group, including some of his entourage, waited for two takeaway lobsters, the local favourite chatted with staff and Scott – and there were some jokey references to football as Scott, a Manchester United supporter, was wearing a hat with his team logo while son Arthur is a Sunderland supporter. While they might not all have been fans of the same team, the same could not be said about Fender, with Scott’s daughter being a particular fan.
However, she was away at school so missed out on the excitement and when Scott later told her the news “she swore at me!” he says. This was not the first time the popular business has attracted famous customers.
The late football legend Jackie Charlton was once a regular and other visitors have included actor Kevin Whately and Great North Run founder Sir Brendan Foster. Scott says of his latest big name guest: “We had a bit crack and he’s really canny.
“He is just like everybody else – not up himself at all.” As word spread about the famous face in town, Sam was also photographed outside the shop.
The image was posted on Beach Hut Seahouses Facebook page with the caption: “Yay Sam Fender in town! Life is definitely better in Seahouses today!” Fiona Harker, who owns the clothing and accessories shop, says its slogan is ‘Life is better in the Seahouses’ and confirms that was the case with Sam’s visit.
She gave him one of the shop’s hoodys as a gift to remember it by. When the Sam Fender photos were shared on social media, they sparked huge excitement.
Sam Fender on stage accepting the ‘Song of the Year’ award with Olivia Dean and Robbie Williams (Image: Getty Images)
In a picture post on Lewis’s Fish Restaurant’s Facebook page, saying: “What a surprise we got in our take away this evening!” and revealing “North East hero Sam Fender”, comments included “OMG!!”; “this is amazing” and “brilliant”. Other responses said “Gutted I wasn’t in today” and “he’s obviously heard how amazing the fish and chips are!”
There was a flood of comments too following a picture posted on the Beach Hut Seahouses page, such as “very lucky, wish I was there” and “Can’t believe I was in the house working today and missed him”. Others noted “Outside best fish ‘n’ chips shop as well” and “he’s not a guy who hides away; he’s a local lad”.
One person had apparently also spotted the local favourite in a local pub, writing: “I saw him too in The Ship, was starstruck.” The singer-songwriter, who recently had his first number one with duet Rein Me In, might have been enjoying a rare break from a busy schedule and he has certainly earned it, having plenty to celebrate with his latest Brit Award success reinforcing his reputation as one of the best British music acts around.
We have a dedicated newsletter for What’s On news and reviews. It’s free and you can sign up to receive it here. It will keep you up to date with all the latest updates on food, drink, entertainment and events in and around the North East.
Did you know you can make ChronicleLive a preferred source of North East news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here.