In the end, the biggest act of the weekend wasn’t even on the bill.

It just after noon on Saturday, as early arrivals milled around Liverpool’s Sefton Park or foot-tapped appreciatively to upcoming singer songwriter Liang Lawrence over on the BBC Introducing stage, when news emerged that the 1.15pm ‘special guest’ set would be coming courtesy of a certain Ed Sheeran. Cue a (relatively orderly) stampede and, presumably, some mild exasperation on the part of the artists unlucky enough to be timetabled against him.

Sheeran had elected to perform in the open-sided circus top that is the New Music stage because he’s already played Radio 1’s Big Weekend’s Main Stage and – as he told those lucky enough to make it in before capacity was rapidly reached – it often has the best energy, particularly at lunchtime before everyone gets tired (read: lashed).

Though pop royalty, the 34-year-old multi-award winner put his back into the show in a very non-regal way, using loop pedals and layering sounds so that every beat of hits from Castle on the Hill to Bad Habits was performed live. While 2025 release Old Phone demonstrated that Sheeran has not lost his knack for Smooth FM-worthy cheese, the lion’s share of his 45-minute set was high energy and infectious enough to have even Ed naysayers depart the tent knowing they’d witnessed what would likely be the most talked-about moment of the weekend.

As Lord High Priest of undemanding white male pop stars, Sheeran was in retrospect the natural choice of mystery guest for what some optimistically branded ‘Scouse Coachella’. In a curiously one-dimensional bit of programming, all three nights of Big Weekend were headlined in this vein, with Tom Grennan closing Friday followed by Sam Fender and then Mumford & Sons across subsequent days. This is something of a shame in terms of optics for the festival, which on the Sunday in particular had a powerful female presence in its line-up and a wider range of genres than those marquee names would suggest.

Lola Young was simultaneously bold and endearingly nervous belting out her smash Messy on the main stage. Canadian singer-dancer Tate McRae opened the day backed by a slick troupe and a mane of extravagantly glossy hair. And ex-Little Mix star Jade almost brought the New Music tent down during what was her first live solo show. A Little Mix medley and a cover of Madonna’s Frozen were sandwiched between her own electropop hits It Girl and Angel of My Dreams, all delivered with a mix of swagger and charisma that suggest Jade could soon join the ranks of elite mononymous pop icons.

Meanwhile, for those who like their pop a little more experimental, thought-provoking, slickly staged and clever, and yet also just plain fun, Self Esteem was the highlight of the weekend. This being a BBC event, the oft-potty mouthed performer managed to avoid profanity, thanks to a large note in pen on her arm declaiming ‘Don’t Swear’. 

Yes, there was rain, which, after weeks of sun, fell like clockwork almost the moment the festival opened. The new music tent was crammed full at times when it became the only real place to shelter as well as because musical megastars had unexpectedly turned up. Yes, there was also chuntering about the cost of staging Big Weekend and the likely damage to parts of Sefton Park. And the food was predictably expensive, space to sit down relatively limited. It is easy to pick holes. But the chance to see more than 100 artists converge on your town and enjoy them with a mostly local audience of good-natured music lovers doesn’t come around often, and, in organisational terms, the full three days ran virtually like clockwork. No mean feat. Just like keeping Ed Sheeran a secret.

By Fran Yeoman

Main image: Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2025 – Liverpool. Tate McRae, Credit: BBC/Sarah Jeynes.

 

You can watch sets from across Radio 1’s Big Weekend on BBC iPlayer