REVIEW: Ed Sheeran at the Brighton Centre

“How are they going to fill a whole show with music from just one album?” and “will I get bored?” are questions that instantly spring to mind.

And so it was with a mixture of excitement and slight caution that I went to see Ed Sheeran perform at the Brighton Centre on Friday night (October 19).

While I really enjoyed his first album Plus, released at the end of last year, there was a tiny, niggling doubt that a man with a guitar and a limited repertoire could keep my attention for an hour and three quarters.

But how wrong I was.

I was captivated from the word go, and remained so for the entire gig; looking on with increasing wonder at how the 21-year-old’s voice could stay so strong right until the evening’s last note.

The solo singer-songwriter opened with Give Me Love, which was given a longer edit for the purposes of the live performance.

The audience was singing along from the first bar, and it was clear that despite his relative “newness” he already has a legion of loyal fans that know every single word to all his songs, even the album tracks.

We were informed early on that we, the audience, would become the Brighton Community Gospel Choir, and at several points in the evening were asked to join in with the singing – a move that sparked no end of excitement from the woman next to me and many others in the sell-out crowd.

He went on to perform all his biggest hits – Drunk, U.N.I, Small Bump and Lego House – before eventually ending on poignant The A Team.

Each song was performed with a confidence way beyond his years, and he moved around the stage with ease, proving he is much more than just a singer behind a guitar.

Impressively, he also created his own beats and backing track live on stage, using a nifty machine operated with his foot.

By the time the show came to close, I was completely won over.

With songwriting and singing abilities of such admirable quality, I would say Sheeran’s star can only continue to rise.

For more information on Ed Sheeran’s UK tour, see www.edsheeran.com

For more on all the latest Brighton Centre events, see www.brightoncentre.co.uk