Now normally, when an artist chooses to take some brand new material out on tour for the first time, they’ll test the waters with a few intimate shows.
Just recently, we’ve had both Fall Out Boy and Blossoms at Band on the Wall, The 1975 at Gorilla, and Jason Manford in a beer garden.
But for Ed Sheeran, his idea of ‘intimate’ is… the AO Arena. That super cosy 21,000-capacity venue. Ah.
After selling out FOUR nights at the Etihad Stadium last summer, though, the chance to see Ed on stage in an arena again is a novel one, and it sold out the venue in minutes.
The ‘Shape of You’ singer announced this surprise arena tour just weeks before he took to the stage, in support of his upcoming sixth album Subtract.
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This mini tour kicked off in Manchester last night – meaning our city got to hear new track ‘Eyes Closed’ live for the first time ever.
You can watch the highlights from Ed Sheeran at the AO Arena in the video below
Ed was supported by TikTok sensation Cian Ducrot, whose flash mob videos have amassed almost 100 million likes.
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Cian’s tracks ‘All For You’ and ‘I’ll Be Waiting’ have become chart-topping crowd-pleasers and are already translating well to stages as large as the AO Arena.
Back to the main act, and Ed Sheeran delivers another of his truly impressive solo shows – as always, it’s just him and a loop pedal up on that stage.
It’s a best-of setlist of his most popular (and personal favourite) songs, with some surprises thrown in.
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There’s a cover of Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Someone You Loved’, and another of Snoop Dogg’s ‘No Diggity’, that delight the thousands who managed to snap up a ticket for this coveted show.
But it’s Ed’s own songs, especially ‘Bad Habits’, that really light a fire in the audience, sending the entire arena floor in a dancing, sweaty mess.
Introducing his newest song, Ed told the audience: “Right Manchester. Real real danger time. This is danger zone. I’m releasing my brand new single in the morning, it’s called ‘Eyes Closed’.
Ed Sheeran introducing new music in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
“I feel so awkward about this album, because I sort of made this album as a therapeutic, cathartic thing, and then I felt better about whatever was going on.”
He added: “This song means a hell of a lot to me, and I’ve never played it live in front of an audience before.
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“This gig is about singalongs, and having fun, and feeling one and included and everyone here it’s like a big communal thing. I’m super nervous, so please listen.
“I wrote this song about losing someone… but don’t think about my sh*t, think about your sh*t. This song is for anyone who’s lost anyone. This song is for you.”
With this triumphant return to the live circuit, make no mistake – Ed Sheeran is back.
Featured image: The Manc Group
News
Police warn criminals ‘don’t bother’ attending Parklife after already making arrest
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police have said that criminals shouldn’t ‘bother’ coming to Parklife festival this weekend, after already making an arrest at the festival site.
Officers have been carrying out searches of people arriving on site this week – and have already arrested a 24-year-old man.
A quantity of pills and a knife were both recovered from the man, who has been arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs and possession of a bladed article.
After the arrest, Superintendent Phil Spurgeon issued a statement to criminals, saying ‘don’t bother coming to Parklife’.
He said: “We have a really robust police and partnership community safety operation for the festival, and the arrest and seizure yesterday demonstrates the vigilance of security staff, our thorough search procedures and our commitment to keeping people safe.
Parklife Festival, and (right) the suspected Class A drugs seized this week by police. Credit: GMP
“Make no mistake, illegal items such as weapons and drugs can have fatal consequences. Our top priority this weekend is keeping people safe, and anyone caught trying to take such items into the festival will be robustly dealt with.
“I hope the genuine festival-goers are excited for the fantastic weekend ahead and I am confident the majority will enjoy the event responsibly and safely.”
Greater Manchester Police and Parklife security staff will be working closely together to intercept anyone travelling to the festival with criminal intentions.
The arrest on 8 June was thanks to the festival’s drug detection dogs.
University of Manchester hit by cyber attack with ‘data likely copied’ by unauthorised party
Emily Sergeant
The University of Manchester (UoM) has confirmed that it has today become “the victim of a cyber incident”.
In a formal statement addressing the situation, the city‘s flagship further education institution says some of its systems have been accessed by an “unauthorised party” and that data has “likely been copied” as a result of this.
The University’s in-house experts are said to be “working around the clock” to resolve the issue.
External support teams are also said to be working in collaboration with the University to understand what data has been accessed.
Patrick Hackett – Registrar, Secretary, and Chief Operating Officer at the University of Manchester – explained in a statement issued this morning: “Regrettably, I have to share with you the news that the University is the victim of a cyber incident, [as] it has been confirmed that some of our systems have been accessed by an unauthorised party and data have likely been copied.
“Our in-house experts and established expert external support are working around the clock to resolve this incident, and we are working to understand what data has been accessed”.
— The University of Manchester (@OfficialUoM) June 9, 2023
Mr Hackett said he understands the nature of the issue will “cause concern to members of our community”, and says the University is “very sorry for this”.
The University says it is also working with relevant authorities – including the Information Commissioner’s Office, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Crime Agency, and other regulatory bodies – to resolve the issue, and will provide information to those affected as soon as they are able to.
Students and staff are also be told to be vigilant to any suspicious phishing emails within the coming days – with the University’s IT Services team having published some relevant advice to refer to.
Daisy Jackson -
24th March 2023 
