What could the mysterious Sam Fender billboards at St. James’ Park mean ahead of blockbuster Newcastle shows?

Excitement for Sam Fender fans heading to St James' Park to watch the local hero play at the home of Newcastle United continues to build as new billboards are unveiled outside the stadium.

The North Sheilds star will play two sold-out gigs at the cathedral on the hill on Friday and Saturday in what will be a landmark moment for the 'Seventeen Going Under' singer and the North East.

Fender has been teasing news about the show over the past two weeks, as well as collaborating with famous local brand Greggs once again in the run-up.

More than 100,000 Fender fans are set to pass through the St James' Park turnstiles across the two nights this weekend - the gigs taking place at the same time as the iconic Blaydon Races and P!nk's two shows at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.

Last month NewcastleWorld launched documentary Sam Fender - The Road to St James' Park, a 20-minute special featuring interviews with Lindisfarne, Newcastle United fans, North Shields locals and superfans of the singer.

Now, as attention turns to the billboards outside St James' Park, NewcastleWorld looks into what they could mean.

Where are the Sam Fender billboards in Newcastle?

The billboards were first spotted on Wednesday evening, just 48 hours before Sam Fender takes to the stage at St. James' Park.

They have popped up around the football stadium in the Newcastle city centre and can be found at multiple locations around the ground.

One of the billboards can be seen in front of Shearer's bar, on the famous Strawberry Place, which was recently bought back by the club in a major coup.

What do the Sam Fender billboards show?

The billboards around St James' Park seem to be a hommage to Sam Fender's two albums to date.

Fender's face doesn't appear on the posters, but they feature the famous black and white shirts of Newcastle United with the numbers one, two and three on the back.

Next to the shirt number one is written 'Hypersonic Missiles', next to number two is 'Seventeen Going Under' and next to the third is a QR code.

Some single billboards are dedicated to one specific album.

What could the Sam Fender billboard at St James' Park mean?

There has been heavy speculation from Sam Fender fans online as to what the mysterious billboards around St James' Park could be alluding to.

The QR code pictured on the billboards leads those who scan it to join the star's mailing list, which has previously given fans access to pre-sales, extra news and exclusive updates.

Fender clearly has plenty of little surprises planned for fans across the weekend, so only time will tell if the QR code is simply access to a newsletter or a nice little extra treat for local followers.