WATCH: Ed Sheeran’s impromptu performance on Church Street stopped by Bengaluru police

Bengaluru cops pulled the plug while British pop singer Ed Sheeran was doing a suprise gig at Church Street in Bengaluru on February 9, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

An impromptu gig by British pop singer Ed Sheeran on Church Street was stopped mid-way by the Bengaluru City Police on Sunday (February 9, 2025) afternoon.

The global music icon who is in the city for his Mathematics concert was singing his pop hit number Shape of You on Church Street when a policeman disconnected his microphone from the sound system. In the video, Mr. Sheeran could be heard saying “We have permission to be here.” He further took to Instagram and shared a story saying, “We had permission to busk by the way. Hence, us playing in that exact spot, was planned out before. It wasn’t just us randomly turning up. All good though.”

Permission was sought, but denied, say police

However, police officials said that permission was not provided for the performance. Shekhar H.T., Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division), Bengaluru City Police, told The Hindu that Mr. Sheeran had no permission to busk on Church Street on Sunday. “Event managers approached us seeking permission. But we do not allow for such events on the busy street, as there are chances of large crowds gathering and the artists themselves being mobbed. So we rejected permission. However, Mr. Sheeran turned up and began to busk on the street. We even received a call from the public to our emergency helpline 112, following which our personnel went and stopped the artist’s performance,” he said..

Church Street, a no-go for vendors and buskers

Last year, when the police evicted street vendors from Church Streetbuskers were also advised not to perform on the streets. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Civic Commissioner, Tushar Giri Nath said: “There is a rule that permission needs to be taken for busking. But people continue to play and sometimes action is taken.”

What netizens said

Meanwhile, those who were on Church Street at the time of the gig expressed disappointment about what happened on social media.

“Just saw Ed Sheeran on Church Street. He sang his song, but sadly the police stopped him in the middle,” an X user posted.

“Police officer pulled the plug when Ed Sheeran surprised everyone with an impromptu performance on Church Street! Ed just wanted to vibe, but not today, officer. Not today,” said another user.