Ed Sheeran Returns With Full Band Set, Talks New Material
Ed Sheeran has made his live return with a set recorded for Radio 1’s One Big Weekend, backed for the first time by a full band. It was the singer’s first show since his enormous homecoming shows in Chantry Park, Ipswich marked the end of his massive tour to support his third studio album, 2017’s ÷.
In an interview to accompany the performance, Sheeran revealed to Radio 1’s Jordan North that he had planned on marking the occasion by unveiling some of his hotly-anticipated new material, “My first single was meant to be ready for now, and I was meant to be playing it at One Big Weekend, so it does feel a bit weird starting with Castle On The Hill instead of a new tune.” He went on to explain exactly why the new material had been held up, “I was meant to play the single today but the video’s got a lot of pre-production that needs to be done on it.”
Sheeran went on to discuss what fans can expect once the single is ready, “The first single is really different – like really, really different. Every time I’ve released a first single from an album I’ve been nervous about it because I don’t know how it’s gonna go – and I like that feeling. I like the idea of putting something out and being like, ‘I don’t know how people are gonna feel about this.’”
While Sheeran’s solo act has made him one of the hottest live draws on the planet, this time around his stage show has seen him flesh out his sound by incorporating a band, “I’m using a band for the first time and it feels like the next stage.”
The set is available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer.