Ed Sheeran disguised as an emo boy singing Chappell Roan in the subway they really did this for me @edsheeran pic.twitter.com/UlpEyRdItm

— sydney (@mxddness) March 26, 2025

The singer was beaming throughout his performance, as shown in a video clip that went viral on X. Fans were shocked by his impromptu performance, taking to social media to express their amazement and post clips of the secret gig.      

not ed sheeran and jimmy fallon randomly performing pink pony club while I’m waiting for the subway JDJSJS — cyn ੈ✩‧₊˚ (@luvbubsi) March 26, 2025

Following this surprise performance, fans also began to speculate that the gig was being used as promotion for a potential upcoming album, going as far to say that it was ‘imminent’. 

Azizam in the nyc subway !!! new Ed Sheeran album imminent he’s popping up in random places again @edsheeran pic.twitter.com/vCTk7PE6lA

— sydney (@mxddness) March 26, 2025

After his performance of Pink Pony Club, Sheeran removed his disguise to reveal his cheerful face to the audience as well as that of his duet partner Jimmy Fallon. The performance was discovered to have been filmed as a segment for the artist’s appearance on Fallon’s talk show The Tonight Show.  The artist has been in the public eye this past week with his open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging the UK government to invest £250m in music education. On The Tonight Show, Sheeran talks about his creative process, showing his passion for creativity which aligns with this current effort. Here, he also reveals the title of his new album, which will be called ‘Play’, and discusses the Persian influences for his upcoming song ‘Azizam’ which debuted in New Orleans. This has since been given a confirmed release date of April 4. On the show, the artist also sings another new unreleased song titled ‘Old Phone’.

Sheeran is very familiar with the art of busking, having done so when he moved to London in 2008 at the age of 18 and since using busking performances to promote new music and appearances in major cities. His first album ‘+’  showcased this acoustic, busking influence with hits such as ‘The A Team’, which he has since re-released as a live track on album ‘+-=÷x (Tour Collection: Live). With this public stunt, the artist pays tribute to these performances and could be hinting at more acoustic bangers to come. This is especially pertinent with the familiar folky, sombre feel of his new track ‘Old Phone’, reminiscent of his early music. 

Falling on the same night of the 2024 BRIT awards, Wunderhorse took to the stage last Saturday to rapturous applause. The legendary 700-year-old pub announced the secret set just hours before the group were scheduled to perform, causing fans to scramble to purchase last-minute tickets. Fronted by singer-songwriter Jacob Slater, his distinctive rough and ready vocals and razor-sharp lyricism are hard to shake off. Slater’s gritty on-stage persona is reminiscent of blistering American garage bands, causing him to launch into a series of rage-fuelled outbursts, only to lose him again in a 90s psychedelic fog.

The Hertfordshire-born musician had made the decision to exit his old band Dead Pretties in 2017, a path that would eventually lead him to form his next project Wunderhorse, releasing their debut, critically-acclaimed album ‘Cub‘ in October 2022, a beautiful yet bloodied catalogue of teenage misadventure. The past two years have seen Slater build up a fair amount of mileage, having scored not only glowing album reviews and international recognition, but rather ironically his first ever acting role as Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook in Danny Boyle’s tv miniseries Pistol.

A multifaceted writer and instrumentalist, Slater has also curated his own separate solo project, releasing his first ever record ‘Pinky, I Love You‘ in August 2023, another deeply personal and tender account of youth driven by a rousing, prog-rock sound. On February 5, the band announced they will be performing at Isle of Wight, TRNSMT, Boardmasters and Reading and Leeds festival this summer.

As of last weekend, they also shared they will be headlining Dot To Dot Festival in May alongside Irish electronic duo Jockstrap, and Brighton’s The Great Escape festival accompanied by other major acts such as Faye Webster and SOFTPLAY. Great Escape Fest is known for showcasing the biggest and brightest up and coming artists from around the country, with over 150 acts set to take part in different venues across the city.

Wunderhorse took to Instagram last month to lift the lid on new music, revealing they are currently in the process of recording their sophomore album, simply commenting: “Back on the road in March, new music in tow”. The four-piece will be supporting English singer-songwriter Declan McKenna on his 2024 UK tour this month, kicking things off at Cardiff University’s Student Union on March 23. You can purchase tickets here.

Punchdrunk had temporarily transformed the basement of a disused office block into the Vescovo & Co Clinic for contagious diseases, staffed with doctors, nurses and orderlies at the time of a disease outbreak and White sportingly joined in on the act, exiting the stage via stretcher after a fit of (staged) convulsions.

The medical theme was a perfect fit for White’s recent album Lazaretto as the title is a term used to describe a ‘quarantine island’. The secret gig also appears to be significantly more thorough than one might imagine with the experience for fans beginning with an elaborate online treasure hunt. With everything from a spoof medical infomercial from 1948, obtuse clues for super-fans and a website belonging to the fake medical organisation, Vescovo & Company, this was truly an expertly planned affair. With thousands of fans submitting their details as part of an ‘online screening for a contagious disease’, a lucky few progressed through the screening process and received a telephone call, inviting them to an out-of-hours appointment at the Vescovo Clinic – created by Punchdrunk across multiple floors of a building owned by The Vinyl Factory.

On arrival, fans were asked to change into blue medical gowns before being subjected to a variety of treatments and tests in a maze of medical rooms. Chaos descended as an outbreak alarm was raised and terrified fans were herded into a smoke filled quarantine chamber. Finally a screen was dropped to reveal Jack and band in full medical uniform who proceeded to belt out a thirty minute set before Jack himself succumbed to the mysterious disease.

This may truly have been one of the most elaborate, excellent ways to launch a secret gig that there has ever been.