Live Review: Ed Sheeran, Rudimental

The GA floor is mostly full when Rudimental take to their tie-dye drum kit and their brass instruments. The drum and bass troupe make it look like a giant onstage party and we're admiring the drummer's finesse when we feel a couple of droplets of rain. I Will For Love is led by Will Heard, a big voiced weedy dude who looks like the poster child for normcore, and he's joined by Rita Ora's doppelgänger, Anne-Marie, in Rumour Mill. Rudimental's show is dynamic and a great time, given each song features a different backing singer's voice at the helm, each with raw unbridled vocal talent, but for a person new to seeing the band, it can seem a little confusing. Although the crowd have been sufficiently warmed up by Foy Vance and Passenger, Rudimental's energy sadly seem a little wasted on the weeknight crowd.

In the minutes before Ed Sheeran, we watch the blackest of black clouds roll in, lightning strike more frequently and the stage crew cover themselves and the speakers with ponchos. Eep. Sure enough, we're faced with a downpour and announcements to stay calm if hail hits. After ten minutes of delay, Sheeran hits the stage on an elevated platform, breaking into opener I'm A Mess. The mosh doesn't seem so bothered about the rain anymore, and it distracts those in the stands now that we've gotten ourselves some ponchos (doesn't matter, we're already saturated.) Sheeran is as wet as us and because he's such top guy, he's also wearing a shirt with an Aboriginal flag on it. He explains that - due to "some complaints he got in Winnipeg, Canada" - he does not use a backing track and everything he plays is live with a loop pedal, something his fans obviously see not as a restriction but a showcase of his one-man show skills.

Though the rain has mostly subsided, the electrical storm surrounding us matches the stage's lighting in speed and impressiveness. Some bloke yells, "We're wet for you, Ed!" and as crass as that is, it's 100% true. We realise we may die here hearing Drunk and Lego House sung by this ginger-haired Grim Reaper. 

Sheeran seems a little time conscious this tour, rarely stopping to interact with the crowd, and sometimes playing songs at a faster tempo. He builds up three harmonies and a percussive beat for Bloodstream, but it seems to be missing a little something. The something is Rudimental, who delivered a chart-topping remix of the song and seem under-utilised just sitting backstage. 

Shushing everyone with a coy finger to his lips, Sheeran quietly takes us into Tenerife Sea. The oestrogen-heavy crowd love the particularly romantic number and the tension grows as he slowly layers the latter half of the song with countless harmonies and a slow build that sends shivers down your spine. High energy (and sassy!) numbers like Don't, No Diggity and Nina are not forgotten and send the stadium into frenzied claps and dances, still in their ponchos. Using his trusty pedal he builds up Take It Back and shows us his flow, before taking it into classics Superstition and Ain't No Sunshine.

It's a show for the history books - towards the end, a grand piano is wheeled out and out steps the fabulous and legendary Sir Elton John in a head-to-toe sequinned suit to duet Don't Go Breaking My Heart and Afire Love with Sheeran. The oldies in the crowd can't believe their eyes, but perhaps the youngins have never heard of the icon in their lives. 

As expected, ballads Thinking Out Loud and The A-Team has fans rapt and singing out loud, faces towards the sky, eyes closed. Finally, Sheeran finishes with a mashup-laden You Need Me I Don't Need You and a boisterous Sing, reminding us that sometimes one man is all you need for a huge show.