Looks like Ed Sheeran is up to his old busking tricks and – in case you didn’t already know – the multi-millionaire acoustic troubadour has a new single out with a new album project and (you can bet on it) a tour to follow.
And, having tried and failed in similar pranks previously, this time he's been very careful to ensure that his papers are in order.
So far Sheeran has notched up three busking appearances in rapid succession, kicking off his current ‘Is that who I think it is?’ globe trot on March 15th with an on-the-move street debut of new single Azizam in New Orleans.
Prior to that, Sheeran had warmed up, by surprising fans in Nashville, appearing at Tootsie's bar performing an assortment of hits along with a cover of Britney Spears' Hit Me Baby One More Time.
Next up, last Friday in London, Sheeran performed a moving (literally) gig atop a pink bus with a gaggle of carefully selected non-threatening fans. Then, after airing Azizam to central London residents for the first time (whether they wanted to hear it or not) Sheeran returned to earth outside Kings Cross station with Castle On The Hill, Shivers, Perfect, Shape Of You and Bad Habits to wrap up his impromptu live performance.
And the “WTF?!” looks on the faces of passers-by are something to behold (just never forget that Status Quo got there first.)
Worth mentioning, for the gear heads, Sheeran also employed an Arturia Keylab 49 mk3 (in black) at the gig, and what appeared to be an all-new, secret Looper X (via his co-op with Headrush) this time featuring 10 pedals and two large screens…
You can watch the gig here.
Finally Sheeran went deeper undercover, performing live alongside Jimmy Fallon on the New York subway [are you sure any of this is safe?] taking part in the show’s Subway Busking segment in emo-garb before announcing themselves as the band Frat Poison.
The pair played a crowd-pleasing version of Chappel Roan’s Pink Pony Club before – you guessed it – cracking out new single Azizam one more time with Fallon on with tambourine and BVs.
The hijinks are all part of the upcoming promo for his new album, Play, which Sheeran promises is “all about fun, connection and bringing people together”.
“It’s a connection he plans to continue throughout the Play campaign,” tease the Sheeran team.
So expect more impromptu appearances to follow and if you must tie Sheeran down in 2025, so far he’s announced that he’s part of this year’s Coachella lineup performing on the Mojave Stage on Saturday 19 April.
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