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

British policemen objecting to the Beatles’s impromptu concert on the rooftop of their Abbey Road studios in London is part of Beatles lore. Eighteen years later, U2’s rooftop performance of Where The Streets Have No Name got similar treatment in 1987. Iconic events and incidents that marked the Fab Four’s decade-long musical journey have seen parallels in the lives of claimants to the Beatles mantle.

On Sunday (February 9, 2025) afternoon, another impromptu performance on a city street, this time by British pop singer Ed Sheeran on Church Street in Bengaluru, was stopped abruptly by the police.

The global music icon who is in the city for his Mathematics tour 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, February 9, 2025. “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 Street, buskers 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. “Just saw Ed Sheeran on Church Street. He sang his song, but sadly the police stopped him in the middle,” an X user posted.

The Beatles broke up soon after their impromptu performance. U2’s star faded somewhat after their Joshua Tree splash. Mr. Sheeran, who, playing himself, accepted the musical superiority of the Beatles in Danny Boyle’s film Yesterday, would be hoping that, in a reversal of history, the Bengaluru police’s action would signal an extended, successful career.