Ed Sheeran gave another sneak peek at his upcoming fourth solo album, = (equals), on Wednesday night (August 25) during an intimate show at the 1,500-capacity HMV Empire in Coventry, England as part of the music chain’s 100th birthday. As first reported by NME, the hit-heavy set featured recent singles “Bad Habits” and “Visiting Hours,” as well as the live debuts of two love songs, “First Times” and “Overpass Graffiti.”
Fan-shot video of “First Times” revealed it to be an emotional reverie about fresh experiences in Sheeran’s career and private life. It opened with the lines, “I thought I’d feel different playing Wembley/ 80,000 singing with me/ It’s what I’ve been chasing, cuz this is the dream,” as Ed played a hypnotic riff on his acoustic guitar.
He went on to describe grabbing a couple beers after that mind-blowing experience, focusing in on the tiny moments that really matter: the first kiss, the first night, the first dance, those first butterflies in your stomach, the first fight and the urge to make “a million more first times.”
