Sam Fender has revealed that AC/DC icon Brian Johnson unknowingly helped him through some of the toughest moments of his early touring days.
The North Shields singer, 31, shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, explaining that when he first hit the road — long before chart‑topping albums and arena shows — he would watch old interviews of the 78-year-old AC/DC frontman whenever he felt overwhelmed or homesick.
The Hypersonic Missiles singer’s dad would often remind him to “be like Brian” — and never forget where you come from.
He penned on Instagram: “When we were on our first tours before everything kicked off, I used to watch interviews of Brian when I was homesick. He was given the keys to the kingdom when he joined AC/DC, yet he never stopped being that little Geordie/Italian lad from Dunston. When things started to go well for us my Dad would always say, ‘be like Brian, no matter how far it goes, always remember where you’re from’.”
In a full-circle moment, Fender posted a photo of the pair together backstage in Sydney, where they had both headlined shows on the same night.
He admitted it’s “mental” that two lads from the North East had ended up on opposite sides of the world, still representing their roots with pride.
Fender concluded: “Here’s me and Brian. We’d both just headlined shows in Sydney. Two normal Geordie Lads. Mental. “Legend x.”