Ed Sheeran announces UK and Europe arena tour – kicking off this month

1 March, 2023

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran has surprised fans by announcing details of a UK and European arena tour that kicks off later this month. Check out full dates and ticket details below.

The news comes after the singer-songwriter today (March 1) announced details of new album ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’), his fifth LP to date and the final in his “mathematical album era” of records named after symbols.

To launch and celebrate the new material, Sheeran will be playing dates in Manchester, London, Glasgow and Dublin this month, with a once-off show in Paris in April. These are Sheeran’s only scheduled UK and European shows for 2023.

Fans can pre-order the album before 9am on Tuesday 7 March via Sheeran’s official website here to gain early access to the ticket pre-sale before tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 10 March and will be available here.

MARCH
Thursday 23 – Manchester, AO Arena
Friday 24 – London, The O2
Saturday 25 – London, The O2
Tuesday 28– Glasgow, Hydro Arena
Thursday 30 – Dublin, 3Arena

APRIL
Sunday 2 – Paris, Accor Arena

Ed Sheeran has announced details of a UK and Ireland tour kicking off this month. Credit: Press

Sheeran’s new album is the follow-up to 2021’s ‘=’, and is released on May 5 via Asylum/Atlantic. ‘-‘ is described in press material as the “last in his decade-spanning mathematical album era” and is an acoustic-driven album that was written and rewritten against a backdrop of personal turmoil.

Aaron Dessner of The National teamed up with Sheeran on writing and production.

“I had been working on ‘Subtract’ for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be,” said Sheeran of the record. “Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.

He continued: “Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts.”

Earlier this year Sheeran told fans that a “turbulent” time in his life had stopped him engaging with social media, but he didn’t detail what those troubles were.

Now, he has spoken of how “within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal [Edwards], a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety.

“I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.”