Busker 'struggled' to keep Sam Fender gig a secret

A young busker said he struggled to keep it secret he was going to play on stage with Sam Fender.

Joe Bartley often plays his guitar outside St James' Park before Newcastle United home games, but on Thursday he got the chance to perform inside during the star's opening night.

The 15-year-old said his performance - watched on by 50,000 fans - was organised about a month ago by the North Shields-born musician and their guitar teacher Phil Martin.

"It was hard to keep it quiet - I thought it would be better to keep it a surprise and have people be more shocked when they saw me up there," he said.

Despite playing in front of his biggest-ever crowd, the young musician said it "felt natural" once he was on stage.

However, he did admit to feeling a little nervous before the gig.

"We got to St James' at about five o'clock and I wasn't nervous all day," he told BBC Radio Newcastle's Matt Bailey at Breakfast.

"But five minutes before I came on, we came outside and I saw the ground was full and that's when the nerves really hit."

Fender played three gigs at St James' Park on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Newcastle United defender Dan Burn was in the crowd during the first concert and his presence was noted by Fender, who then played a version of Ultrabeat's Pretty Green Eyes, with the lyrics changed to Toon fan favourite "He's from Blyth".

Burn then repaid the favour by appearing on stage on Sunday, bringing with him the Carabao Cup, which Newcastle won earlier this year, in part to his opening goal.

Also appearing with Fender were members of the Easington Colliery Band from County Durham, who feature on the track Remember My Name - which is dedicated to his grandparents - on his People Watching album.

Joe has become a favourite with Newcastle United fans as he can regularly be seen playing outside the ground and using his music to raise money for charity.

While playing outside Sam Fender's concerts he has raised nearly £2,000 for the West End Food Bank and cancer support charity Maggie's.

The student said his performance with Fender had only boosted his confidence and ambition as a musician.

"I don't want to copy [Fender]," he said.

"I want to be my own thing and hopefully get in a band and take over the world."

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