Grammy Award winner shows up at tiny pub and stuns crowds with new song
Crowds gathered at the pub in Ipswich to hear the new release (Image: BBC News)
A Grammy Award winner surprised fans with a special performance at a tiny UK pub, thrilling fans in the town over the Bank Holiday weekend. Ed Sheeran put on an impromptu gig at the Thomas Wolsey pub in Ipswich on Sunday (May 4).
In recognition of the hitmaker's new release, the beloved pub has been unofficially renamed The Old Phone for two weeks, BBC News reported. The Suffolk native serenaded a bustling crowd inside the local pub, and a clip of the performance was shared by Ed Sheeran HQ on X. The video was captioned: 'Ed brought the Old Phone Pub home. Thank you Ipswich for singing along with us!'
The video has since racked up over 50,000 views and elicited numerous comments from admirers of the four-time Grammy winner.
Fans shared their emotional experiences. One exclaimed: 'I cried along to this earlier.' Another said: 'It's not just a pub anymore – it's a time machine with strings. Thank you for turning small places into big memories, Ed.'
A third expressed their appreciation for the communal singing: 'Sounds like an amazing night with Ed! I always love those crowd sing-alongs too – they bring such great energy.'
Other comments included enthusiastic praises like: 'It was so good', 'Love this', and: 'Love to see so many fans there.'
The dancing and smiling faces of the fans were evident in the footage as they joined Sheeran in song and dance. Content cannot be displayed without consent
The 34-year-old musician announced on Friday (May 2) plans for three performances, including at Ipswich Town FC's stadium, an arena close to his heart.
Later that day, he hinted at a visit to the town by sending out a message to fans through his mailing list, as reported by the Ipswich Star.
The message read: 'From Ipswich, MA to Ipswich, UK… we're bringing The Old Phone pub home this weekend.'
Fans were encouraged to respond to the message with a beer emoji for a chance to get invited.
Sheeran released his track Old Phone on Thursday (May 1), which features on his new album of the same name.
He previously revealed on Facebook that he wrote the song in India while finishing off the album.
The pop star explained: 'It came by accident, because I was jet lagged and woke up at 2am. Everyone else was asleep, so I thought 'might as well write a song' and this was the first idea in my notes.'
He shared a reel of him singing Old Phone on a beach shortly after he wrote it.
Sheeran also invited his Facebook friends to find their old phone and do a 'dump of the old photos,' saying that he wanted to see 'pure nostalgia.'
He will be joined for his Ipswich summer shows by Myles Smith and Tori Kelly on Friday, July 11, Busted and Dylan on Saturday, July 12 and finally James Blunt and Maisie Peters on Sunday, July 13.
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