Lindsey Buckingham praises Sam Fender and reveals his People Watching is his favourite

5 June 2026, 13:59 | Updated: 5 June 2026, 14:12

Former Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham and Sam Fender. Picture: Gary Miller/Getty Images, Press

By Jenny Mensah

The Fleetwood Mac legend has discussed the Geordie singer-songwriter when reacting to his People Watching single in a video with his son Will.

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Lindsey Buckingham has revealed his love for Sam Fender and shared his thoughts on his music.

The former Fleetwood Mac lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist reacted to the Geordie singer-songwriter's People Watching single, which is taken from his 2025 Mercury Prize-winning album of the same name.

In a "Lindsey Reacts" video shared on his own YouTube, Buckingham reacted to Fender's live performance of the song from London Stadium with his son Will drawing comparisons between the sound of the track and Buckingham's signature guitar style."

Talking about the similarities to his old band and if it's something he likes seeing, the 76-year-old musician remarked: "It's something I like seeing, but it’s hard to be objective about that, you know? I mean it did occur to me that maybe the guitar part was very much something I would do."

“The general kind of limits that the song puts on itself is very much like what we would do," added the Go Your Own Way singer. "It kind of holds a certain emotive space and never varies from there, you know, and he knows what that is and wants to hold on to it.”

Watch the video clip below:

Lindsey Reacts: People Watching by Sam Fender

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Quizzed by a voice off camera on what he likes about the North Shields singer, he replied: "Well I like the emotional tone he finds and holds. I love his voice."

"This is my favourite song." he added of People Watching: "I'm just looking forward to what he's going to do because he seems to be evolving."

Comparing Fender's People Watching single to Seventeen Going Under from his 2021 album of the same name he noted: "He did Seventeen Going Under and that was great too, but this is more of a complete song to me."

Remarking of the crowds in the clip at the 80,000 capacity East London stadium, he added: "That was not a small audience either".

Sam Fender at The Ivors 2026. Picture: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Ivors

Meanwhile, last month saw Sam Fender honoured with the gong Song Writer of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards and during his speech he talked about the importance of promoting working class artists.

"I'm so f***ing privileged, so privileged to be to be doing this," he tearfully told the crowd at the star-studded awards ceremony at Grosvenor House.

"If my manager Owen Davies, if he hadn't walked into that pub that day when I was 18, I'd still be there doing that. I'd be working in the call centre. I'd be working in the pub."

He continued: "And as an industry we cannot rely on people like Owen having to walk into a pub to find kids from f***ing working class backgrounds."