Live Review: Ed Sheeran

Much has changed for Ed Sheeran since he broke out with The A Team (and his multi-platinum debut, +) three years ago. He's written songs for the love/hate boy band One Direction and bonded with country superstar Taylor Swift in the studio and on the road. But some things haven't altered. The Brit YouTube phenom still enjoys doing "intimate" shows on the side. Back in 2011 he played The Bakehouse in Melbourne, charming industry types. Now a star, Sheeran, in Australia again on a promo tour as well as to appear at last night's Logies, is still performing pop-up gigs, only for select fans (equipped with iPads).

The singer-songwriter's lunchtime show for Nova at Ding Dong is already the day's second. The queue is huge. Sheeran, introduced by Nova host Smallzy, kicks off with a rousing extended version of that old fave Give Me Love on his acoustic guitar. He makes full use of pedals - and even creates percussive effects by hitting his instrument. The crowd sings along. Give Me Love actually sounds way better live than on record.

Sheeran remains the pinnacle of normcore fashion, in a black T-shirt and slate-coloured baggy pants and jacket, his sneakers kinda scuffed. However, he's met with girly screams on removing his jacket.

He follows with a song from his highly-anticipated sophomore, x ('multiply'), due in June. Don't is a Tay Tay-style missive directed at an ex - apparently Ellie Goulding - that is both impassioned and rather detailed. Expect the album version, sampling Lucy Pearl's hip hop soul song Don't Mess With My Man, to be less raw: Sheeran recorded it with Benny Blanco (Katy Perry) and Rick Rubin (Adele). The singer performs a very different number in I See Fire from the closing credits to Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug. Live, it sounds surprisingly Bon Ivery - spare and delicate. Sheeran then pulls out another new album track in Take It Back, which could be The Streets with him (wryly) rapping the verses.

The usually gregarious Sheeran decides to minimise his banter in what will be a short set, but he does joke about how sweaty the venue has become. Next he performs The A Team - there's really no avoiding it. He finishes with his latest (hit) single Sing, co-written with, and produced by, Pharrell Williams. Yup, he's come far, Eddie. Sheeran, who can credibly sing falsetto, has all but described the song as a Justin Timberlake knock-off, but it's somehow less slick and more endearing and whimsical than Mr SexyBack. Indeed, Sheeran is a man of the people: he even takes a photo of the crowd before leaving the stage.