Ed Sheeran at Electric Ballroom, Camden

Playing the first of three sold out shows at Camden Town's Electric Ballroom venue, Ed Sheeran said that he was doing the shows to "iron out the creases" which had cropped up in the last two years during the Coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions.

Most of the set was acoustic, however there were some songs for which a band came out to accompany Ed. I heard people muttering behind me about how they thought the incorporation of other musicians in the act was a 'let down' and a 'cop-out', but honestly I thought it was a welcome addition and attempt by Ed Sheeran to keep his music sounding fresh and his shows as good as they can be.

I am all for Ed's acoustic talents - and that with a loop pedal - but sometimes music needs something more than a guitar. 'Visiting Hours', in particular, a song which I would never think would sound good done by a band and electrically, was absolutely amazing. I was blown away.

Doors opened at 7pm, and the only performer was Ed Sheeran... which meant that the crowd were kept waiting for 90 minutes before he came on. This was not a good idea; it was obvious from my place perched on a balcony above the general admission audience that people were getting agitated, hot and annoyed with the wait - and the other people around them.

This was the first proper audience that I had been a part of since before the pandemic, and it turned my stomach that hardly anybody was wearing a mask. I am neither for nor against people wearing masks, and I think it should be a choice made based on the infection rates at the time, but if somebody in that room tested positive, then it would very easily spread to more people. My stomach turned not because I was disgusted, but because I was scared.

However, Ed's set removed my fears almost completely from my mind. He was incredible; as awesome as he was when I saw him at Wembley on 17th June 2018 on the ÷ tour. The inclusion of songs from the new album was varied; Bad Habits, Visiting Hours, Shivers, First Times, The Joker and the Queen and Overpass Graffiti were the new additions. This was in addition to Afterglow, which was a single released at the beginning of 2021 to tease Ed's return to music: Ed said that he wanted this song to be a closer to his upcoming shows.

But some of my favourite songs were not played; the main one being Don't and Sing. I was quite upset by this because I think that they are some of his best compositions, but apparently Ed Sheeran does not agree. Perhaps he think they're overplayed; Don't, in particular, seemed to be everywhere in 2014 and 2015, and I still hear it fairly often today, eight years after its release. I love it though, and I would have loved to hear him play it again, the last time being the concert I attended back in 2018.

Can I really complain, though? I got to see one of my favourite artists perform at an intimate venue - and I have tickets to go to two stadium dates later in the year. He played what I consider to be his best songs from the new album, '=', and also some of my old favourites like Galway Girl, Thinking Out Loud, and You Need Me I Don't Need You.

The atmosphere at Electric Ballroom was intense, and I am insanely jealous of the audiences who are attending on the 22nd and 23rd March. They've got such a treat coming! The rapport which Ed Sheeran has with his audience is really quite odd; he talks to the whole room like they were no different to the great aunt that he hasn't seen in a while at a Christmas do, and he somehow communicates with every person individually. The raw love and emotion in that room from both sides; fan and artist - were so thick they could have been cut by a knife, and I would give anything to be able to thank Ed in person for putting on such a magnificent show.

I'm still totally blown away, and definitely dumbstruck. What an incredible, memorable night. I will treasure the many photos and videos which I took for a very long time.