Mini Mercury Choir did us proud!

To mark the launch of the Mercury Fringe, a week of events leading up to the Mercury Prize award evening, we brought together 64 young people from across the North East to rehearse People Watching by local hero and 2025 Mercury Prize nominee Sam Fender at St James’ Park, filling the iconic stadium with energy and music, before performing at Tyneside Cinema for the official opening event.

We were thrilled to be joined by YolanDa Brown OBE and two players from the Newcastle United Women’s Team, who were blown away by the talent and passion of our young singers. What an incredible day for everyone involved!

Our Mini Mercury Choir, came together once again on the day of the award ceremony to deliver an unforgettable performance at Newcastle Central Station, welcoming Mercury Prize nominees and judges as they stepped off the train. Their rendition of People Watching by Sam Fender sounded absolutely brilliant in the space. They really showcased the incredible young talent we have across the North East!

A huge thank you to Generator for inviting us to be part of the Mercury Fringe celebrations, and to St James’ Park and LNER for hosting us on 8th and 16th October respectively, LNER kept everyone warm with their cosy scarves!

And of course a massive congratulations to local hero Sam Fender for winning the Mercury Prize Album of the Year 2025, we hope our choir’s version of your incredible song left you impressed!