Ed Sheeran @ The Ballroom, Birmingham – Monday 29th October 2012
Two years ago everyone was talking about a youtube video that went viral. In this video a man by the name of Ed Sheeran was about to hit the music industry by storm. The song “You Need Me” was as fresh as a daisy and just like that everyone was an Ed Sheeran fan. However this was two years ago, as expected there are very mixed views on the 21 year old former busker now. Tonight it was Birmingham’s turn to embrace the accredited performer and his well praised live act. But to put it bluntly, his singing skills are there, it’s just the love songs that made tonight a little too bland for my liking. A show can never be as good as the teenage girls are hyping about on Facebook if the act has to tell the crowd what to do and when to do it.
To start the show tonight we had Foy Vance and Passenger. Two acts that Ed picked, that inspired him to become the star he is today. But the question everyone was thinking was why? Was it really worth the money to come down to the Birmingham Ballroom to see two acts that hadn’t made it like Ed had. They may be respected by him but to everyone else here tonight they were unknown. There were some positives however, which were the covers, notably “Billy Jean” by Foy Vance as it showed off his impressive vocal skills.
The lights dimmed and just like that Ed was on stage with his trademark guitar. As the former busker introduced himself and welcomed the crowd the place erupted. The ballroom was full to the rafters with the youth of today (and their parents.) Everyone was hyped up and ready to go but then “Give Me Love” began. The mellowest song I have ever heard was chirped out by Sheeran with backing from the “Birmingham Community Gospel Choir” as Ed called us. From the first song I wished I was sat down, as Ed announced that he would be on for two hours there was no room to breathe. Not just the sheer number of people in the building but the lack of movement could’ve killed me. It didn’t help that Sheeran had to order the crowd around every song to suit him. Instead of letting us “go with the flow” when Ed put his finger on his lips we all had to be quiet or leave the premises.
There was nothing natural about the flow of tonight, the choruses were repeated too many times in my opinion and the set list was all over the place. With those little points aside Ed Sheeran is very talented and a good songwriter. The songs may all be about love and sound the same but real thought has gone into each song. There’s an important story in songs like encore “The A Team” which really come into action in a live environment. The screen behind the 21 year old showing the tragic story of a girl as we held our phones in the air and swayed side to side.
Hits like “Lego House”, “Drunk” and “U.N.I.” were all crowd favourites and provided a festival like sing a long. All very catchy and appealing to the youth of the day the songs performed tonight were performed well but starting to sound like one another. There was one song however that gets in your head. One of the best singles of 2011 in my opinion, the infamous “You Need Me, I Don’t
Need You.” The longest song I have ever endured at a gig was arranged really well tonight. The crowd were involved throughout, but when You Need Me started the parents amongst the crowd woke up as their teenagers bounced around the dance floor. This song is what projected Ed from sleeping on a sofa to where he is today but it seems like it’s one of a kind and in the repertoire tonight there was nothing else that sounded like it. Tonight was enjoyable, but as with all folk/acoustic bands, the set can seriously drag. What the set needed was a few of the rappers that appeared on The “No 5 Collaborations Project” or just someone who wasn’t a folk singer to liven the night up a bit.
Hopefully in the next album there will be a little more of the rapping and the tongue twisting lyrical flow and less of the under
par love songs that should only be performed to a girlfriend privately. There were some magical moments like the live drum machine editing and encore “The A Team.” Ed obviously loves singing and performing as it was his third time in Birmingham but next time a better support act would go down a treat and little less acoustic guitar. Every song was executed perfectly vocally and the stage show was planned well. I look forward to his return and hopefully a new and fresh album.
Review by John Kirby
Photographs by James Hough