Live Review: Ed Sheeran Riverside Theatre

Perth's very own Georgi Kay was proudly welcomed home with loud cheering from the crowd as she graced the stage of the Riverside Theatre. Warming up the audience by sharing her on-tour experience of being mistaken for Reece Mastin whilst in Brisbane, the crowd were buzzing for Kay to begin what would be a mesmerizing set. Starting off with Puzzles and moving along to huge crowd favourite In My Mind, Georgi Kay's humorous side resurfaced as she commented on the release of the track's video clip bearing resemblance to some sort of tampon advertisement. Dedicating Lionheart to her mum and dad who were in the audience, her set closed with the beautiful sounds of Winters Bone and Ipswich.

Ed Sheeran fans of all ages screamed and cheered like this reviewer has never seen before as the young ginger-haired Englishman walked on stage. An epic and explosive extended version of Give Me Love made it evident we were in for a show to exceed all possible expectations. Sheeran involved his audience right from the beginning to the end of his two-hour set, referring to them as his “gospel choir”, encouraging them to join in with his music where possible. Sheeran broke into Drunk for the seceond track of his  set which saw the crowd upstanding in the seated venue, dancing and singing along. His rendition of Wayfaring Stranger was absolutely breathtaking. In an enthusiastic and energetic audience, the vibe of the venue came right down. You could have heard a pin drop as the audience were simply in awe, appreciating and admiring Sheeran's sheer talent.

Noting that this week his album climbed to the number one spot in Australia, Sheeran thanked his fans for enjoying his music and learning his lyrics “whether you bought it, illegally downloaded it or your mum bought it at Tesco”. Playing an emotional Small Bump, followed by an Ed Sheeran-style version of Nina Simone's Be My Husband, the versatility and raw talent that this young man possesses was clear. Moving on from Kiss Me, he ended his set with Lego House. Encoring an unforgettable and extended 15 minute-long You Need Me, I Don't Need You, the crowd went wild for which they were treated to one last taste of Ed Sheeran live, with his breakthrough song A Team. To describe this show as a-freakin-mazing would not even give Sheeran's performance the accolade it fully deserves. With such a solid performance as this one, tickets for his already-announced 2013 tou are sure to sell like hotcakes.