Myles Smith took to the Main Stage this afternoon to serenade the crowds at Sefton Park
A BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend star made a cheeky Liverpool FC statement when he took to the Main Stage at Sefton Park this afternoon. Myles Smith appeared on the main stage at the festival at 4.20pm today to delight fans with a moving live performance.
The 26-year-old Luton-born singer-songwriter stepped out onto the stage wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, white trainers and a black t-shirt emblazoned with a funny message. His top featured the cheeky statement: “I swear I’m not Divock Origi“.
The star decided to use his stage attire to dispel any confusion that may arise during his visit to the city – especially on such a huge weekend for Liverpool FC fans. His outfit choice may also have been a humorous nod to his hairstyle, which bears some similarities to that of former Liverpool FC player, who departed the club at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Myles has blonde tips on the ends of his hair, which is slightly different to Divock’s style. Origi achieved a cult hero status during his time at the club, and will always be remembered by Reds fans for his legendary goal in the second leg of the 2018/19 Champions League semi-final at Anfield against Barcelona, helping take the Reds to the final in Madrid.
He also scored in the final against Tottenham Hotspur, helping secure Liverpool’s 2-0 win. That victory was celebrated with an open top bus parade through the city – which Reds fans can relive on an even bigger scale this bank holiday weekend at the Liverpool FC Premier League parade on Monday, May 26.
Addressing the crowd, Myles said: “Thank you for coming out Liverpool. We are here man! My name is Myles Smith, we’ve been on tour now for probably the last 18 months and every show we make two promises – we will put on the best show we can and I pray to God that you guys can help us and enjoy and have the best time you can.”
Before launching into his 2024 song Whisper, he added: “Now, I know you won’t know the words to the songs and you might feel uncomfortable in a big crowd but who cares? Let’s live a little, pretend you know the words. Clap, sing, dance, whatever.”
Shortly after gates opened at 11am today, BBC Radio 1 DJ and Breakfast host Greg James announced the ‘special guest’ who was set to open the New Music Stage at 1.15pm.
The surprise announcement was met with huge excitement from fans, as Greg revealed Ed Sheeran would be performing.
The Shape Of You star’s appearance at the festival was kept top secret right up until the last minute, with hundreds of music lovers rushing to the south Liverpool park to try and make it through the ticket gates in time for his performance.
Announcing the last-minute line-up change, Greg said: “A lot of chat about the special guest on the New Music Stage today at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Liverpool and it’s actually this man here.
“That’s a good surprise. You might have thought it was a rubbish surprise but actually it’s the best surprise we could have possibly done. Enjoy!!
Taking to the stage, Ed Sheeran opened the day’s proceedings with a rousing performance of Castle On The Hill, before launching into a set that was packed with his biggest hits as well as some of his new material.
Addressing the crowds, he said: “Liverpool how are we feeling? Now I’m glad you turned up, I know this was a secret. But I’m going to play some songs that I hope you know, and if you don’t… it’s going to be a long hour for you.”
He added: “The reason I wanted to play this tent at this time is that I’ve played Radio 1 Big Weekend five times before and I have never played the New Music tent even when I was a new artist starting out. The first time I played it was in 2012 and I’d already had a couple of hits by that point and I played on the Main Stage but I often think that these stages have the best energy.
“I just thought ‘it’s Liverpool, it’s Saturday, if I play at night time your energy might be gone but if I catch you first I’m going to get all the Liverpudlian energy first.”
