Live Review: Ed Sheeran, Missy Higgins, Fergus James

On Tuesday night, fans flocked from all over Brisbane to catch singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran in his first Brisbane show of the ÷ (Divide) world tour.

Fergus James, an up-and-coming Sydney singer-songwriter personally selected by Ed Sheeran himself, was a fingerpicking guitarist with a handful of catchy pop melodies. With his first single only uploaded to triple j Unearthed in February, this opening slot is a life-changing opportunity for James.

Australian darling Missy Higgins reminded everyone exactly why she wears that crown. After a hiatus where she stepped back from music for the past few years, Higgins has returned with a new band but the same old golden hits. And although she took a break, her songs were as easily recognisable as if they had been played on the radio this morning. Higgins remarked that she was such a big Ed Sheeran fan, she had bought tickets to his Melbourne show long before she was announced as his support act. Higgins covered the favourites such as All For Believing, Everyone's Waiting, The Special Two and Scar, and new single Futon Couch. With catchy hooks and quirky lyrics that are bound to be stuck in your head for days, Higgins once again displayed her ability to be a hit writing powerhouse.

By the time Ed Sheeran graced the stage, Suncorp Stadium was packed full of expectant fans, and what a crowd the pint-sized pop star draws! Despite his small stature and simple stage dressing, Sheeran's presence was larger than life, capturing the audience from the time he jumped onto the stage to the very last strum of his guitar in the encore.

Having been on this tour since March last year, you'd expect him to be waning slightly but Sheeran seems to be forever grateful to the fans that have put him where he is today, promising to give the crowd 110% himself. For Sheeran, who has gone from playing to a room of 60 people to a stadium of 60,000, the rise to fame has been astronomical. But once he dives into hit after hit, it's not hard to see why.

Armed with his guitar, and an array of foot peddles, Sheeran wowed fans by building his songs from the ground up, layer upon layer until it became recognisable. All done completely live, Sheeran's act was a true testament to his artistic prowess, which he has down to a fine art. With the saturation of repetitive electronic music and re-hashed hits in the market, it was so refreshing to watch an artist who is truly that, and whose ability matches the notoriety.

Sheeran covered songs from all of his albums, kicking it off with Castle On The Hill and Eraser from his newest offering, then moving onto The A Team and I'm A Mess from his earlier works. He was ripping through his material with blistering speed, covering Don't, New Man, Galway Girl, Photograph and a cover of the bluesy Nina Simone tune Feeling Good.

The string of hits came fast and strong for just under two hours but the crowd did not waver. Just when you thought it was over, Sheeran jumped back on stage, somehow ramping the energy up once again for his encore, which consisted of smash hit single Shape Of You, and You Need Me, I Don't Need You from his 2011 album + (Plus).

With such an extensive back catalogue, an electrifying live show and artistic range unrivalled in today's industry, Sheeran proved to everyone that he is so much more than just a singer-songwriter.