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And Finally Artist News Retail
Ed Sheeran to play HMV centenary show for 700 fans at new Coventry venue
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 20 July 2021
Ed Sheeran has announced that he will play a free show to 700 fans in Coventry next month to mark HMV’s centenary.
This all makes sense, of course, because Sheeran has definitely shopped in HMV before. I bet he even has an HMV carrier bag stuffed in the back of some drawer somewhere. The musician himself explains: “HMV is a store that I spent a lot of time in growing up and a place where I discovered lots of new music, so I’m looking forward to celebrating this milestone with them”.
The show will take place in Coventry’s new HMV Empire venue, marking its long-delayed opening, that delay being the fault of the good old pandemic, of course. The relocated Empire venue now includes HMV in its name thanks to a three year partnership deal announced earlier this year.
Given the retailer’s somewhat rocky experience in the live music business in the past – the original HMV Group actually ran some venues for a time in the years before its collapse in 2013 – you might wonder if having another go is a good idea. But, hey, it’s only a naming rights deal with a single venue this time. And if bags Ed Sheeran for the grand opening of that venue, you can’t really argue with that.
HMV’s Managing Director Phil Halliday says: “We’re THRILLED that live music is back with a bang with the amazing Ed Sheeran at our 100th birthday concert. HMV has a rich heritage in welcoming the world’s biggest music acts to perform intimate gigs in-store or on stage, as well as helping grassroots bands in their local communities discover new audiences. The relationship between music retail and live gigs is vital in maintaining the health of the industry as a whole, and as the UK emerges from lockdown we’re looking forward to even more exciting events this year”.
The Empire’s co-owners Phil Rooney and Dave Brayley add: “To have Ed Sheeran – one of the world’s biggest artists – not only coming to Coventry but performing in our new venue, the HMV Empire, is simply mind-blowing”.
The show will take place on 25 Aug, with tickets being given out in pairs via a lottery. For a chance to attend, go here.
