It’s one of the ‘hidden treasures; of Newcastle’s nightlife scene and a bar in a back lane in the city is also the very place that Sam Fender stunned drinkers, when he casually took to the piano to sing his emotional new single Remember My Name, nearly two years before its release.
Situated at the end of Pink Lane closed to Central Station, with neighbours including the famous Town Wall and Forth pubs, The Prohibition Cabaret Bar was the popular Jazz Cafe for years, before having a 1920s bar makeover six years ago, as Prohibition made the move from over the water in Gateshead to Newcastle city centre.
Since its switch to the heart of town, Prohibition has hosted a string of cabaret shows, local talent showcases and sold out performances from local drag artistes, but on Easter Bank Holiday Sunday a few years ago, it had a surprise star turn from North Shields Brit winner Sam, who, unbeknown to many others in the bar at the time, had been enjoying a few drinks and then sat down at a piano to perform a previously unheard track.
Videos of Sam’s impromptu performances quickly landed on social media, with the lyric ‘And I pray you’ll remember my name’ heard in a number of clips. An , writing this story in 2025, we now know the song in question is the incredibly moving Remember My Name, which Sam wrote in honour of his grandparents and then roped in the services of Easington Colliery Brass Band, who feature on the version that ended up on his recently released third number 1 album People Watching.
Prohibition’s owners remember the evening well and, as Sam geared up to release his new album they shared the video on Instagram and wrote: “It was April 2023 when one of the most remarkable moments came for us here at Prohibition Cabaret Bar. A young man sat at our house piano and began playing an unknown song. A handful of an audience fell silent as the piano played and the young man began to sing. That lad was local music legend, @sam_fender who had come in to the bar with his partner and his sax playing pal for a drink having just arrived home on a train at Central Station.
By the end of the piece the small but stunned audience were captivated and we all knew we had witnessed something very, very special. It is wonderful to see that this exclusive track has now finally been released over the weekend and is already soaring up the charts. It’s title is ‘Remember My Name’. A remarkable performance of a beautiful and very personal song deserving of all the good things that it will surely bring for Sam and his upcoming shows.
Having gone straight in at number 1 and won another Brit Award in the space of just 24 hours, Sam and is band are currently in Europe on the next leg of the People Watching tour, with gigs in the likes of Italy, Germany and the Netherlands in the diary for the next few days, before the small matter of three sell out shows at St James’ Park in June.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/prohibition-bar-newcastle-sam-fender-31192877
