Ed Sheeran reveals plans to tour in an electric campervan
"I want to travel to every show as electric as possible"
By Tom Skinner
Ed Sheeran has revealed his plans to tour in an electric campervan when he embarks on his UK and European run of dates later this year.
The singer-songwriter is set to hit the road in April in support of his fourth album ‘=’, which came out last October.
Appearing on the ‘TODAY’ show last weekend, Sheeran expressed his relief over the return of live music. “I can’t see the tour stopping,” he told host Willie Geist. “I’m gonna be going for a while.”
The ‘Bad Habits’ star went to speak of his vision to make the stint more eco-friendly, saying: “I’m talking to VW about an electric camper van. I want to travel to every show as electric as possible. The baby is coming with me on tour.”
Sheeran also said that he’s looking at the option of travelling by train, with the hope of “spend[ing] time in each city”.
“It was really a slog at the beginning of my career. You would play five shows in a row and have one day off,” he explained. “But the luxury of playing these large venues is no one goes mid-week so they have to be at weekends.
“So it’s Friday, Saturday, Sunday every week. We’re going to take time in each city.”
The musician’s ‘+ – = ÷ x Tour’ – aka ‘The Mathematics Tour’ – includes five concerts at Wembley Stadium in London over the summer. You can find the full schedule here.
Sheeran explained last month that he hopes to “rewild as much of the UK as I can” as part of his commitment to environmentalism. “I’m trying to buy as much land as possible and plant as many trees as possible,” he told BBC Radio London.
Ed Sheeran follows the likes of The 1975 and Coldplay in his attempt to tour more sustainably. Chris Martin and co. are due to embark on their eco-friendly ‘Music Of The Spheres’ world tour in March, with various measures in place to reduce the band’s carbon footprint.
During a recent interview, frontman Martin said there was still “a long way to go” to find a fully sustainable way of playing live.
Meanwhile, some of the most powerful record labels – including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group – have signed up to a new pact that aims to tackle climate change by “decarbonising” the music industry.
The Music Climate Pact has been spearheaded by the Association of Independent Music (AIM), in conjunction with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).