Ed Sheeran, March 2011

After taking a little browse through my past blogs I found this article I wrote during my Final Major Project at college. I'd decided to shoot/ write a small cultural magazine based on what was going on locally at the time .. it featured an interview with my brother (which I may post at some point- it's a really good read), some advertising shots for clothing brands, as well as an article on our trip to Barcelona.
The stand out piece for me, though, was the article and shoot I did on Ed Sheeran.
He came to Alexanders in Chester to play an acoustic gig for charity -this being long before he was famous- so we went along and I used it as a feature.
Reading it in hindsight is quite strange, I'm not ashamed to say I'm a fan and knowing where he is now is rather humbling- He's headlining festivals, performed in the opening ceremony to the London Olympics, and has gone TWICE platinum in the USA... so to look back on our experience of such an intimate show is pretty cool.
Unfortunately that link at the end no longer works, sorry about that. I hope you lot find it as enjoyable as I found writing it all those moons ago.

Alexander's is a small bar tucked in the back alleys of Chester city. Situated in a courtyard hidden away from the main high streets, it's the perfect place for cultural gatherings and known well by locals as being the place to go to see talented musicians and bands with real personality. This makes it the ideal location for a fund raising night, bringing in all the right people, and certainly all the right performers. Tom Riley and Rob Lucas, both 21, will be cycling from York and heading off through 20 countries over four continents to raise money for WaterAid, and to help them reach the biggest sum possible, Alexanders played host to a fantastic evening of music.

A superb line up included local seven piece sensation Shy and the Fight, as well as Siren City. The mood was set brilliantly by Shy and the Fight, and without throwing them into the same boat as Mumford and Sons and The Arcade Fire, they have similar vibes about them. I will always believe though, that it's much more satisfying to hear it coming from your home city, four harmonising singers hit notes so sweet that they tuned the heads walking by outside. It was a spot on performance from respected musicians, who have found a way to blend so many instruments together with such great effect that you sometimes wonder how on Earth they write such intricate and beautiful songs. They did Chester proud.

As Siren City's set wound to a close, everybody temporarily scattered for essential lavatory visits and cigarette consumption, Ed Sheeran arrived and drifted against the current of the crowd towards the stage, shaking hands and accepting the occasional hug from adoring fans. The word quickly spread that he was in the building, and it really became apparent as to how much love there is for the 20 year old.

Perhaps it was fate that he won the raffle, too. Though the bottle of wine may not have been to his taste, as he offered it to the front row of the audience before taking to the stage. His guitar echoed sentimental value, and I just wanted to believe that he's been using it for years, despite only turning twenty in February. His signature paw print must have been there for quite some time, the word 'Angel' written just beside the neck (though I'm convinced it said Nigel, i've been persuaded otherwise). He stood there alone, and quiet. The single spotlight from the middle of the room occasionally reflecting off his ginger hair. He fiddled with tuning and made the essential final checks while the crowd eagerly anticipated what was to come. I don't like speaking for everyone, but I will happily claim that nobody in that room could have been prepared for what they were about to experience. Sheeran's confidence shone as he laughed off the first ten seconds of his opening track... "Little too much feedback! You've gotta get these things right, you know".

Regarding his solo work, I had the impression that the loop pedal was something of a trademark, and for the first few songs he showed his unique skill in using it. playing back simple riffs on the guitar with soft breathing techniques and vocal rhythms to create a superb solo orchestra, harmonising with himself before our very eyes. His voice instantly sending shivers down the spines of the young ladies all the way to the back of the room. And any lads who know talent when they hear it, too, I've never felt more of an urge to dance to a single guitar. After the first song I took the opportunity to take some photographs, while the tempo increased and the sound of feet tapping wooden flooring echoed through the cellar. Through the viewfinder of my camera I couldn't help but notice how everybody was hanging onto every single word coming from the young mans lungs. He's only a few months older than I am, and yet his ability to grab his listeners by the heart strings is simply incredible. Amongst the superb singing and guitar playing he intwined some top class rap and hip hop, keeping everybody bouncing and lively with his exceptional high tempo lyrics. Like all of the other girls in the room, my girlfriend is madly in love with the guy, and I can honestly say that after about 15 minutes of his set I'd marry him myself.

"This song has a little bit of a story behind it..." Sheeran spoke of how he spent time volunteering at a homeless shelter, and he saw things around the room about someone called 'Angel'. It transpired that the angel is the people in the shelter themselves, trying to make their life better, aspiring to the ability of "flying" and living their life to the fullest. It was an extremely touching story, already provoking emotion, before even playing a note. "This one's called 'A Team'" was met with smiles and sighs of happiness throughout the onlookers, and a beautiful performance certainly did the story justice; I've no doubt a tear or two were shed.

Growing up, my Dad always told me about how in his teenage years he'd go out to gigs and concerts and see bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who, changing the face of music with their stage presence and unique style of playing. And I'm certain that many will agree with me when I say that the modern music industry has lost its appeal. These days you have to really search for quality music, and artists with style and knowledge of what music really means are extremely hard to come by.

What happened next however, genuinely restored my faith in modern music. Sheeran's talent and style is already undeniable, but what he managed to get across in the second half of his set was the actual meaning of music. As much as it's about recording and producing and releasing albums to the masses, what really matters is the live interaction with the people who've come to listen. "This room has some nice acoustics, and I feel a little disconnected up here, so what I'd like to do now is going to require a bit of cooperation from you guys". The microphones were switched off, he unplugged everything, took off his jacket and walked right into the middle of the crowd. He stood, guitar in hand, and asked for quiet. You could hear a pin drop. The respect shown to him was 100% due. And that was it, he played to all of his onlookers, almost as if there were just the two of you in the room. He looked right into my eyes as he sang, as well as everyone else's; he wanted to connect with everybody in there and he succeeded to magnificent effect. During a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Make You Feel My Love' one girl sat on the floor just a yard from his feet, and just listened. It was touching, to see someone with such love inside of him really wanting to share it with everybody else. More upbeat tracks and immaculate emceeing had some fans reeling on their feet, you could hear the muffled "woahh" here and there as we took in the immensity of Sheerans vocal and lyrical abilities.

He closed the performance with, in his words, "the song that made me". We all knew which he meant, and despite "You Need Me" being fast paced and technical everybody broke into the rap in unison; quite overwhelming to say the least. exceptional guitar picking and intricate vocals blended together perfectly and had all of us wondering why the hell this guy isn't the biggest act in the country? Everyone joined in the chorus, before the room was literally parted. Ed clearly understands the mindset of football fans in the northwest, playing on the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester Utd to explain how certain lines from the bridge were to be hurled across the room at each other. "You need me man i don't need you" flying in one direction, "My eyes are red" in the other. He even took the time to add another two verses at the end too. Nice.

The vibes were truely pleasant all evening, and prior to closing Sheeran parted with an old irish folk song. One hand raised high, the other with a beer, we all swayed together for the final few verses. It was the perfect ending to one of the greatest live sets i've ever seen.

Not many artists tend to stick around at the bar after the show either, as Ed did. Chatting to fans, getting photographs taken and of course getting drinks bought for him left right and centre. It couldn't have been a more successful evening; not only was a a huge total raised for WaterAid and Tom and Rob's charity world-wide bike ride (over £1000 i believe), but also a little bit of faith was restored to the music scene. Everybody went home happy, convinced that they'd spent the evening watching a man who a few months down the line could very well be a world wide sensation. We were witnessing someone that will capture at least the entire nation, and rightfully so. Nobody deserves success more than Ed Sheeran.

So remember the name; Ed Sheeran, single handedly proving that gingers do indeed have souls.

i leave you with my photostream! http://www.flickr.com/photos/lewisroyden

and a video of monday night, courtesy of the bloke stood to my right!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNh4LpAoqSA&feature=related