Ed Sheeran announces upcoming intimate Christmas concert
The show will take place in Hackney on December 13, in aid of the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation
By Grace Almond
Ed Sheeran has announced a special one-off gig at St John at Hackney Church in London, on December 13.
The gig is in aid of the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation, which was launched by the singer in 2019. The aim of the foundation is “to help young people under the age of 18, and living in Suffolk (UK), with small but useful grants to help with studying or playing music”.
Recipients can spend the grants on “almost anything”, including buying instruments, paying for music lessons or a rehearsal space. Sheeran grew up in Framlingham, Suffolk.
Tickets for the show, entitled ‘Ed Sheeran’s Merry Christmas Gathering’, will go on general sale on November 12. Fans can access a pre-sale of the tickets if they pre-order Sheeran’s upcoming album, ‘=’, before 6pm on November 3, which will grant them a unique access code.
On Tuesday (October 26), NPR Music released Sheeran’s ‘Tiny Desk (Home) Concert’, which featured some songs from Sheeran’s upcoming album, ‘=’. Watch the performance here:
Sheeran released the album’s lead single, ‘Bad Habits’, in June this year, spending eleven consecutive weeks in the number one spot on the UK Singles Chart.
Earlier this week, the musician shared previews of each song on the album in a series of 14 YouTube Shorts. Sheeran called the experience of making the Shorts “really fun”, adding “I’ve always really enjoyed the music video process, so it was fun to explore a new way of doing that by channelling each song’s theme in a unique way, while also giving you a sneak peek of the album!”
Recently, Sheeran announced on Dutch radio station NPO Radio 2 that he is collaborating with Elton John on a Christmas song. John told NME that Sheeran had “let the cat out of the bag”: “I was sworn to secrecy and then big mouth fucking Sheeran goes to the Netherlands! It’s supposed to come out – we haven’t finished it yet, so there’s still work to be done.”
Ed Sheeran fans may not have to wait long for new music after ‘=’ is released. Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp has already confirmed that the musician is working on another record: “The material is there and it won’t be another four-year wait, I can promise you.”
Ed Sheeran’s fifth studio album, ‘=’, will be released tomorrow (Friday October 29) on Asylum/Atlantic.