Record Store Day 2025: Sam Fender announced as ambassador

Record Store Day 2025 has found its official ambassador in the form of Sam Fender.

The Geordie hero - whose third studio album, People Watching, is due for release February 21 -  will be releasing a special 6 track EP entitled Me and the Dog, which will only be available over the counter from affiliate Record Store Day record shops on Saturday April 12. 

Me and the Dog will be a 12" vinyl with both A and B sides, featuring two brand-new tracks, as well as four fan favourite cuts that have never been pressed on vinyl before.

Sam Fender's Me and the Dog Record Store Day exclusive 12" vinyl tracklist in full

Side A

People Watching
Tyrants (Previously only available via limited & sold-out People Watching 7”)
Empty Spaces (Previously Unreleased)

Side B

I’m Always On Stage (Previously Unreleased)
Me And The Dog (Never pressed on vinyl before, previously only available via People Watching CD Single)
People Watching – Live at The O2 Arena, London (Never pressed on vinyl before

In becoming Record Store Day's official ambassador for 2025, Sam joins the leagues of some true British music legends, like Kate Bush and The 1975, who have all championed UK record stores on the biggest annual day for vinyl fans up and down the country.

In a statement, Sam Fender said of his appointment: "It's a complete honour to be asked to be the ambassador for Record Store Day 2025. The importance of indie stores cannot be understated. Without them, we lose physical spaces for music fans to discover both their favourite new artists and to forge friendships with likeminded people.

"This year is an exciting one for me and the band with the release of our new album, People Watching. We were so privileged to be able to work with the family of legendary North East photographer Tish Murtha and use her photography across the album’s artwork for all formats. 

"The EP we’re releasing for Record Store Day is called “Me And The Dog EP”, which at one point was going to be the name of the new album, so it just feels right that it should have its own moment. We’ve included two songs that haven’t been released - I’m Always On Stage and Empty Spaces.  

Thanks so much to all the independent stores around the world who support us. Let’s all make sure we support them too.”

Over 270 UK record stores will be taking part in Record Store Day on April 12 this year. You can locate your participating store here.

Meanwhile, Sam is gearing up for the release of People Watching on February 21, with an eye to make it his third consecutive UK Number 1 album, having topped the Official Albums Chart with both 2019's Hypersonic Missiles (with his Official Number 1 Award being presented to him by Newcastle legend Alan Shearer) and 2021's Seventeen Going Under (where we went one better and got Ant and Dec in on it). WIll Newcastle's favourite daughter Cheryl Cole be free that chart week? We'll make sure to ask.

The campaign for People Watching kicked off with the release of the title track, which debuted at Number 4 on the Official Singles Chart. It became Sam's third UK Top 10 (following Seventeen Going Under and Homesick with Noah Kahan) and earned him the highest debut of his career so far. A second track from the LP, Arm's Length, recently debuted at Number 14.