Latest news with #TheOldPhone
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ed Sheeran Sets Up Pink ‘Play' Phone Booths Around Europe Previewing Upcoming Album
Ed Sheeran has found yet another novel way to promote his upcoming Play album. After opening a pop-up pub in Ipswich, MA and encouraging fans to share archival messages and videos from their 'Old Phone' and recording several international takes on the album's first single, 'Azizam,' the singer dialed up a new clever idea over the weekend. 'The Play Phone Booth spotted in London, Amsterdam, Cologne, Madrid and Naples this weekend! Who dropped by and which song teaser was your favourite?,' he wrote on X along with images of fans stepping into the booths that mimic the iconic look of London's red phone boxes. One close-up shot shows that the booths were stocked with drink coasters for 'The Old Phone' pub. More from Billboard Cardi B, ROSÉ & Ed Sheeran Send Special Message to Northeastern University Graduates at Commencement Twenty One Pilots Fans Jumped Into Veronica Mars Mode After Someone Took Off With One of Josh Dun's Bespoke Drums Palm Tree Festival to Debut in St. Tropez With Headliners A$AP Rocky & Swedish House Mafia Sheeran released the nostalgic video for 'Old Phone' last week in which the singer recalled the inspiration for the song. 'I was finding text messages from people that aren't even here anymore and reading conversations with people I wish I could have conversations with now,' he says in voiceover. That revelation led to the idea for the bespoke, pop-up pub in Ipswich in March, where fans were invited after sending a video or message from an old phone that had meaning to them. That promo bit was preceded by a series of surprise mini-concerts at other bars in Boston and Nashville, as well as a pop-in at Nashville's Santa's Pub with Noah Kahan for a short dual set and reconstruction the pop-up pub at the Coachella Festival. Sheeran is also gearing up to preview Play (Sept. 12) during a three-night run of summer shows with an all-star roster of support acts at Suffolk Town's Portman Road Stadium, home of his beloved Ipswich Town FC football club, which he owns a minority stake in. The shows on July 11, 12 and 13 will feature support from, respectively, Myles Smith and Tori Kelly on night one, Busted and Dylan on night two and James Blunt and Maisie Peters on the final evening. Check out images from Sheeran's Play Phone Booth stunt below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Ed Sheeran's dad makes unexpected appearance in new music video
The video, which also stars comedian Omid Djalili as a chef, starts with Ed Sheeran struggling to come up with ideas for his latest song before slipping on a rug and getting transported to an Iranian wedding Ed Sheeran's dad, John, made a quick appearance in the singer's latest music video. The star recently released Azizam, which is Farsi for 'my beloved', and made sure to invite his dad to set to film the chaotic film, which sees him showing up as a wedding-guest at a fun-filled ceremony. The video, which also stars comedian Omid Djalili as a chef, begins with the singer struggling to come up with ideas for his latest song before slipping on a rug and suddenly getting transported to an Iranian wedding. Standing at the gorgeous venue, Ed looked around in confusion before wedding guests danced towards him and had him surrounded. He was standing in the kitchen for one part where he was fed Persian food. At one point, he was dancing with the guests, and the camera panned to Ed's dad, John, joining in on the activities while dressed in a suede suit. It comes as Ed surprised fans over the weekend when he appeared at a tiny pub to put on a special performance of his new release, Old Phone. The star put on an impromptu gig at the Thomas Wolsey pub in Ipswich on Sunday, and 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!" 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 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 same day day, Ed 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.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ed Sheeran treats fans to surprise gig in his home county
Ed Sheeran fans were treated to a surprise gig in his home county of Suffolk over the bank holiday weekend. The singer, 34, has just released his new single Old Phone and renamed The Thomas Wolsey in Ipswich town centre after the tune. The pub has been taken over with the new name for two weeks and then it will revert to its original after. Ed shared clips of the night on his Instagram and penned on the caption: 'Brought the Old Phone for a homecoming show in Ipswich today. 'Thank you to @fishclawband for rocking it with me and for everyone who came down. Old Phone out now x.' Work started in the early hours of Sunday morning to rename the pub which is the title of the singer's newest song. He announced on Friday three gigs in Ipswich Town, penning on socials: 'From Ipswich, MA to Ipswich, UK... we're bringing The Old Phone pub home this weekend.' People were asked to respond to the message with a beer emoji for a chance to get invited. He previously opened versions of The Old Phone in Ipswich, Massachusetts, for one night, and another one at Coachella in California last month. It comes after last week Ed shared a series of throwback snaps to Instagram, including a fun selfie with Taylor Swift, while also reflecting on his copyright trial. The star launched a new Instagram account to celebrate his 'emotional' new single Old Phone. The account featured a number of never-before-seen pictures, texts, and lyric notes, and came ahead of the release of his new single on Thursday April 29. Ed was inspired to write the new song when revisiting his old phone during the copyright lawsuit around his hit single Thinking Out Loud. At the time, Ed denied he had ripped off Marvin Gaye's soul classic Let's Get it On for his 2014 hit song, and in 2023 was cleared in court. Explaining the new account, Ed penned in a new Instagram post: 'Put the sound on and have a listen. I got rid of my phone 2015, and moved onto email full time. I just turned my phone off December '15 and that was it. 'When I got sued, the judge ordered me to give up my old devices to the other side's lawyers, to look through messages, emails, voice notes, videos, etc, to see if there was anything on there to help their case. In the process, I switched on my old phone. 'The first message was from my friend Jamal Edwards, who had recently passed away. The second was from my ex-girlfriend who I hadn't been in contact with for years. The third was a family member I haven't spoken to in a decade. And so on.' Ed shared pictures with pals including Taylor and the late Jamal Edwards, with the musician admitting looking through the phone made him emotional for a number of reasons. Ed continued: 'It felt like a time capsule, a time of life that I was in, and living at that time in 2015. Turning it on really spun me out, I found myself scrolling messages and conversations with people who are no longer here. 'I found myself crying at messages to friends who are now dead, who I won't get to speak to again. I found old photos of me with people I was so close to then, but we've lost touch since. 'The whole experience was such an emotional journey. I wrote the song Old Phone on my own at 2am whilst jet lagged in India finishing the album, and recorded it that morning. It feels like a song that should've been on my debut album, but also a song I couldn't have written until I experienced real life things happening to me.' Speaking on the meaningful new song, Ed added: 'It makes me emotional to sing, I hope it finds some emotion in you too. Maybe it makes you switch on your old phone and have a look at where you were a decade ago too. Whatever it does, I'm glad I wrote it. Old Phone, out Thursday 11am EDT / 4pm BST.'
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Backing Ed Sheeran 'just playing with a friend' says Essex band
A folk band who backed Ed Sheeran at a surprise gig said they were "just playing music with a friend in the pub".Fishclaw backed the star as he played some of his greatest hits during an hour-long performance in Ipswich on played at short notice and did just one sound check about five minutes before playing with Sheeran at The Thomas Wolsey in Ipswich town Hobbs, who plays guitar and mandolin in the band, said: "It was a bit of a risk for him, given that we hadn't practised at all beforehand... but the faith he had in us was quite something." Mr Hobbs, who has been friends with Sheeran for many years, said the Shape of You star messaged him ahead of the gig to ask if he could play with them."It was just playing music with a friend in the pub. He is a very sound, solid, normal guy," he said."Ed was good at bringing the best out of people and the crowd."It was nice playing in a local venue. It was spontaneous." 'Heart of music' Colchester-based Fishclaw have been together for the past 12 years. Alongside Mr Hobbs, Shari Statcher plays Irish whistles, Charlie Charlton plays bass and Simon Keep plays piano accordion and keys, while Pete Rowley is on drums and Jos Dow on Hobbs said live jamming sessions were one of Sheeran's favourite things to do."Events like this help remind people that music is about connection," said Mr Hobbs."That is really the heart of music."The venue, in St Peter's Street, has been temporarily renamed The Old Phone after Sheeran's latest singer, who went to school in Framlingham and still lives in Suffolk, last week announced a series of three homecoming concerts at Ipswich Town's Portman Road 34-year-old star is a keen supporter of the club and a minority shareholder. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Business Mayor
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
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.
