Ed Sheeran has delighted fans in his home county of Suffolk by staging a surprise performance at a pub he’s temporarily taken over and renamed.
The Thomas Wolsey pub, located in the heart of Ipswich, has been rebranded as The Old Phone — a nod to a track from Sheeran’s latest album, Play. The venue will keep the new name for two weeks before reverting to its original identity.
Fans gathered in excitement after Sheeran sent out a WhatsApp message inviting a select group to attend the special event, while others queued outside the venue in hopes of getting in.
Among the crowd was Rachel Clements, 28, from nearby Stowmarket. A longtime fan, she said she was thrilled by the intimate nature of the gig. “I’m very excited that he’s doing something this small in our hometown,” she said. “We had one of his songs at our wedding last year — I’m really hoping he plays it tonight.”
Sheeran, who grew up in Framlingham just 15 miles away, is well known for his loyalty to Ipswich and his love of Ipswich Town Football Club, which he sponsors. He has performed in various local venues before achieving global fame.
One lucky fan, 20-year-old Alyssa Ali from Florida, happened to be visiting Ipswich when she heard about the gig. “I’ve loved Ed for a decade,” she said. “When I found out he was playing at a pub just eight minutes from my hotel, I ran straight here.”
Another hopeful attendee, Michael Marron, 38, from Ipswich, said he was thrilled Sheeran had brought the pop-up concept home. “We saw him do this in America and hoped he’d do it here,” he said. “He always gives back to Suffolk — it’s a real buzz.”
Sheeran previously opened similar one-night-only pubs under the Old Phone name in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and at Coachella in California. At Sunday’s event, he performed a lunchtime set expected to last at least an hour after doing a public soundcheck.
Access to the gig was reportedly given to a mix of fans, influencers, and music bloggers — some selected randomly.
The surprise show comes just ahead of Sheeran’s upcoming trio of concerts at Portman Road this July. In addition to sponsoring the team’s shirts, he also holds a minority stake in Ipswich Town FC, which was recently relegated from the Premier League.
The Thomas Wolsey pub is named after Cardinal Wolsey, a key historical figure and Ipswich native. Fittingly, his statue stands just down the street from the venue — now temporarily immortalized by Ed Sheeran as The Old Phone. Photo by Drew de F Fawkes, Wikimedia commons.