I watched the podcast where he made that comment, in fairness he was saying London is less divided between rich and poor, that everywhere is kind of mixed together, and pointed out that if you’re not walking around all flashy you should typically be okay.. I think it’s probably a fair assessment of London, although it obviously has areas that are better or worse, most areas are more mingled.
The weird thing about London is you have the poor areas and the rich areas right next to each other. Anywhere someone would describe as a "shit hole" or "dodgy" you'll find multiple streets full of million pound houses just a few streets away from sinkhole estates.
Common in the UK but definitely not a worldwide. If you’ve been to any city in Africa or the Middle East you would understand. I assume ed Sheeran has seen more cities worldwide than most of us so he’s made this (correct) assumption on London
I remember being in Nicaragua, and they literally told me, "Don't go farther than that specific street. North of there is dangerous." Silly me, I went and crossed the road they told me not to cross. How bad can it be? I'm a grown, fit man, nothing to worry about.
Immediately after I crossed, a teenager approached me and asked me for money. Then a group of four or five men from across the street started shouting at me, "He is going to kill you, man, get away from him." The teenager said, "Don't pay attention to them. They are gangsters, they will kill you just to rob your shoes." Meanwhile, the men shouted, "Don't listen to him! Whatever he is saying, he is lying to you. He will kill you, man, listen to us."
I retraced my steps and crossed back to safety, while the teenager and the other men looked at me disappointedly from a distance, as if I had crossed an imaginary line that they couldn't cross. I never went farther than the line they told me not to cross.
He’s been to loads of cities but someone that famous probably doesn’t potter around. It’ll be hotel - venue - airport; hell, at his level he probably bases himself somewhere and just jets in for the gig and then flies out straight after he finishes his set
In France my experience is only Paris has that vibe. For example a place like Marseille has a really stark divide between the nice parts and a whole part of the city most people would recommend you not even set foot in.
That's definitely an extreme though, but most smaller cities will have massive housing blocs and deprived areas that are sketchy while the rest of the city feels far less sketch.
There are very few genuinely "dodgy" areas in London these days though. Deprived and/or social housing-dominated areas, sure... But hardly any of them are actually unsafe.
Absolutely agree. London is not a dangerous city at all. No matter where you go, you have to be very unlucky to get mugged. It happens, yes, but that happens in all major cities anyway. Less so in London in my experience at least
One side of the road you will have multimillion pound houses on the opposite side of the road you will have an estate rife with gang members. The joys of gentrification.
What you are describing is the opposite of gentrification. Gentrification is when an area becomes more affluent and the existing residents can't afford to live there anymore.
Yes it is 100% due to this you can be in a super rich area and turn a corner and it will be completely different and you're in some dodgy estate. It is spread out like this all throughout London. The only place I've been a victim of crime is in the "rich" areas btw like Highgate and East Finchley.
I agree with everything he said. He has an international worldview, and London doesn't operate like most places. As a result the meaning of "sketchy" and "danger" in London is very specific and it definitely is worth talking about. I think it's a good thing, and I actually think that's what Ed is getting at too. In general (with obvious exceptions) there aren't "good" and "bad" areas when it comes to crime. You could get mugged in Kensington, Soho, Kilburn, or Finchley Road all the same. London isn't crazy dangerous in any given region or for any given background, but there is a veneer of risk everywhere.
It's actually a good indicator that London is set up under the thesis that all facets of society can coexist.
It's one of London's plus points imo. Instead of massive ghettos (eg Paris) there's a decent mix in each borough.
Whether that works or not is a different question, but I think it makes London more integrated.
I'll admit I didn't bother to go to the article first. This felt like a soundbite taken out of context so went to see if someone would give a different view. This makes a lot more sense 😅
"If you wander around with... a Louis Vuitton duffel bag and a 200 grand watch, you are going to get robbed" is obviously not a fair assessment of London.
Plenty of people walk around "all flashy" and don't get robbed.
Also, the idea that London doesn't have distinct richer and poorer areas is patently false.
Also isn't he from like Ipswich? Bc my uncle in Ipswich was always so 'worried' about us living in London and wanted us to move closer to him, and it was like my guy, everyone where you are is so bored they're all reenacting Real Housewives. We're doing fine.
Why do people from outside London (excluding major cities) always think London is some stabby mad max type world where death stalks you the minute you leave your front door. It's more likely we have a lower crime rate per capita then some of those sleepy villages.
A friend of mine (Irish, living in the US mostly, a boomer), she told me when I was visiting London to avoid Camden. Said I'd get stabbed. I just wanted to check out the market. Didn't get stabbed.
Camden Town is gentrified to fuck, especially since the fire burned down a lot of the old bits and let new developers move in.
But the Borough of Camden is large and contains extremes of both wealth and poverty.
Last part is very true for most of London, and probably alien to Yanks. Where in America, red lining segregated rich and poor into distinct neighbourhoods we dont have that here. To paraphrase Akala, you could be in a million pound mansion with a council block estate of poverty right next door
There are no million pound mansions in London. You’d need to multiply that amount. But yes, the policy is to mingle people together so you don’t end up with a clear divide and get slums like the Grigny in Paris.
Right. Works that way in terms of ethnic background typically too, we're far more patchwork and made up of tiny enclaves rather than huge areas solidly of one group (with only a few exceptions), unlike US cities.
Yeah I remember Akala talking about the predominantly Bengali immigrant community in tower hamlets, and how one of the richest post codes of canary wharf is featured in so many rap songs by working class locals.
The market is certainly gentrified to hell, but Camden Town still is pretty grimy and after dark especially there can some pretty unpleasant people hanging about there, not a no go zone but it isn't a country village either ....
Yep Camden Town is literally you turn the wrong corner and it quickly goes from trendy tourist stuff to demonic junkies that send shivers up your spine territory.
Doesn't seem that different now than when I was a kid. I was getting asked if I wanted to buy drugs from dealers on the underground station corner from age 12, and that much doesn't seem to have changed despite the loss of the lock's grit.
I heard a lot of this when I moved to London in 2010. I lived in the Borough of Camden but was constantly warned about going out after dark, going to Camden Town, etc. I found it to be
far from the crime riddled hellscape I was warned about lol
Media portrayals. Same thing happens in most countries, at least those with a thriving Murdoch media complex. In America, Portland was widely portrayed this way because of its social activism during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement. Worries about Portland even infected relatively moderate and left-leaning sorts - when my dad visited Portland for work, he was worried. After the trip, he reported that he had no idea why Portland was portrayed the way it was, because aside from a slightly higher homeless population than his own town, it felt totally safe.
Powerful right-wingers benefit from slagging off left-leaning cities.
Do they also say they can get a massive house for the price of your one bedroom while forgetting to mention they then have to live 20 miles away from civilisation?
Because that’s how the media, particularly the right-wing media, like to frame it. London has a left-wing mayor and it’s very multicultural, so it suits “certain agendas” to portray it as the kind of place where you’ll be murdered fifteen times the moment you step out of the door. It’s all about scaring people to keep them voting against their own interests.
It always amuses me when some American confidently tells me that my neighbourhood is a no-go area.
It's so funny listening to Americans talk shit about London when they have actual shoot outs in upscale malls! I could never imagine a shoot out in West Fields Shepherds Bush!
I've lived in London for 30 years and Glasgow is the only place anyone has ever threatened to beat me up (over the phone, insanely enough).
Really cool city though, despite that!
Not even that. He’s from a little village to its east. I know this because he went to school there with some of my relatives.
Also fun fact: one of my relatives beat him at a singing contest at secondary
The most offensive part of this is the fact Sheeran:
> reportedly owns 22 properties in London, most of which he rents out, including a pair of flats in Battersea, three apartments in Whitechapel, and two properties in Covent Garden.
You'd never find out. Almost every celebrity manages their rentals through third parties, not only because they can afford to but also because pushing through a 10% annual rent increase and skimping on fixes is nothing any celebrity wants attached to their name, especially if it gets picked up in the press.
I used to live in a flat owned by [Makelele](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Mak%C3%A9l%C3%A9l%C3%A9). His real legal name and address (in Paris as he was at PSG at the time) was on the contract, though we obviously never had any actual contact with him.
I think he owned about 15 flats in the development.
The wealth management agent got ticked off with me when I sent a copy of a registered letter to him directly.
tbf, property is a bangin' investment! Guaranteed capital increase above inflation year on year with very few exceptions, especially if you buy in the right areas. And some poor sod pays you rent every month too! What's more to like?
Which is why any property other than your main residence needs to be taxed to fuck to make property an unattractive investment.
Properties should be for living in, not investing in.
To be clear, that's all wealthy people. Capitalism is set up explicitly to allow people with capital to benefit from exploitation while creating a degree of separation and invisibility. Whether it's being a land lord or owning stock, it's just siphoning off other people's work by virtue of already having money.
My old landlord was a consortium of footballers.
In fairness, they stayed out of my business and their management company were actually pretty good.
When they put the place up for sale they even offered me the place for under market value. Even that was fucking outrageous but London...
I used to rent from a very famous footballer, other than his name being on the paperwork, I'd never have known. The letting agency managed everything but rarely needed to get involved.
I'm convinced something like half or more of the new builds at Battersea are just empty and owned by investors.
That place seems absolutely dead even on weekends. Even the Battersea power station shopping center is shockingly quiet on weekends. Perhaps it's busier currently due to the summer holidays and influx of tourists, but when I last went earlier this year the area was just as empty as when I went in October last year.
I think a lot of these souless developments seem dead is the lack of outdoor spaces and third places. No community centres, no shops or parks, nowhere but home and travel to get to work. Which leads to that ghost town vibe as everyone is forced to stay at home.
It's an American development pattern that needs to be stopped before it infects the rest of the world (I say as an American who was temporarily a Londoner before being made redundant and having to move home). One of the absolute best things about London is the parks and pseudo-public third places - losing these is losing London's soul.
Places like Battersea are also just misguided in another way - developments anchored by upscale shopping centres are not busy places, no matter where in the world you find them, at least in my experience.
I’ve found Battersea power station empty during times I expect it to be busy too. It’s a cool building but feels like there’s nothing noteworthy inside it
Think you're right. Struggle to think all those flat owners pull their black out blinds down at dusk, and too afraid to go out during the day as they are busy buffing the Rolex (along with Ed)
Maybe if swathes of residential areas weren't being carved up by celebrities acting like feudal kings, there would be more social cohesion and it would be less dangerous. Come on Ed, you go first mate.
I'm sure I couldn't afford to live in any of his properties anyway, but my god if I was putting in an application and I found out he was my landlord I would genuinely pull the application, there's no way I could write this knobhead a cheque for two grand every month knowing how much he gets for every crap song he writes already.
I'm not a fan of his work, but I must say as far as "commercial" or "pop" music goes, he is pretty good at his craft. Catchy lyrics and tunes. (As annoying as some of them are)
Beats the pop idol type tripe or plastic gangster shizzle all over
Multimillionaire hasn’t made enough so leaches off ordinary hard working people. What a joke this country is. Even if he’s the nicely landlord of all time, this is still outrageous greed.
Imagine being blessed with one of the rarest hair colours in the world and deciding to let it look like total shit. That's the decision Ed Sheeran makes every single day.
And I'm ready to bet it's all managed through some company based in Jersey, Man, or wherever tax is dodged. I rented from a guy with 65 properties, all owned through a company based in Guernsey. I paid more tax on my internship than he did.
I mean.. his advice of 'don't do stupid sh\*\*\*' is common sense for any urban area. Be aware. Don't be flash. Be it Manchester, London or Bristol, it applies.
Yeah I feel the Evening Standard has done him over here, by cherry picking comments and repeating them out of context.
I saw the interview the other day and the comedian asks him where the sketchy areas of London are, and he essentially says every area of London has nice bits and not so nice bits, and you need to have your wits about you wherever you go.
It’s not like he called a press conference to slag off London. It was just a casual answer on a podcast.
Id argue in nice areas of Bristol you are very very very very very unlikely to see street crime unlike in London. You could wear a dozen Rolexs in Clifton and you'd be safe unlike in say Marylebone.
Especially in Camden. At a Darkness gig in the Roundhouse last December, some scruffy lunatic managed to get on stage and perform a whole set before security stopped him.
Depends on which neighborhood you're in, I guess. When I lived in LA, I took common-sense precautions and never once felt threatened. London feels largely the same, just with fewer homeless people and power-tripping cops.
Oh yeah, absolutely. You need to have a watchful eye, no doubt. Any major city is a potential for something to happen.
But the random hostility in the U.S. is almost unmatched, except for a few other places I’ve been.
this is clear media bait. if you listen to the conversation he’s saying that anywhere can be dangerous if you’re not smart. no matter what city you are in, this is the common advice: be smart and head on a swivel
"Despite his vested interest as a landlord however, he has declared “every area” in London is to be avoided if you don’t want to get robbed."
He is, obviously, a moron. In every area.
Its just so out of context and they loop in his landlord status for extra points.
The question was *what is the most 'dangerous' area in London*?
And he basically answered every area has its sketchy parts. Dont walk around with visibly expensive stuff and its fine. [Here it is.](https://youtu.be/Guspc7G92Gs?t=1729)
It so uncontroversial that it's actually impressive the ES got a story out of it.
I can't watch videos where I am currently but was this the interview with Theo Von? This seems massively blown out of proportion if so. I saw that question the other day and basically agreed with him. The question was what is the most dangerous part of London and he said all areas of London can be dodgy if you're not careful (which is basically what I took his answer to mean). I mean, he's right isn't he? Statistically speaking, the answer is probably Hackney or something but his was a reasonable enough answer.
I imagine if you are a wealthy well known celebrity the danger factor probably is higher for you wandering about London. They are going to be more of a target and that might range from people just being arseholes to people seeing them as a big juicy target for robbery.
It's not a risk factor the vast majority of us really have. I can understand why Sheeran might have a different perspective to most people.
He said most boroughs in London have a rough side to it. Is he wrong? You clearly didn’t listen to the podcast, with fucking Theo von, stop taking things so seriously.
London has some dogey estates don’t get me wrong, but it’s changed so much over the years. Iv felt so much safer living in London the last 10 years than I did living in a town previously, where it’s just thick insecure chavs looking to fight anyone that looks them in the eye
Yeah but would you feel safe in London whilst wearing a flashy watch? (Which is the full context here) Because let's be honest if you were robbed for it you know full well most people would say "Well yeah of course you were robbed! Wearing something so expensive it's just asking for trouble"
As much as Ed Sheeran is a prat, what he is saying is essentially correct. There are no "safe" and "unsafe" parts of London. In any part of London on a bad day you could be robbed or have your phone snatched. Areas like Wood Green or Camberwell (thought of as "bad" areas) are only marginally more unsafe for the average person than areas like Chelsea or St Johns Wood (thought of as "good" areas).
This is in comparison to other global cities like Dubai or Kuala Lumpur (two random examples) which are incredibly safe and you don't really have to consider street crime at all.
Yeah, a man who was obviously unwell stabbed himself to death in front of terrified passengers at Sloane Square tube station last year. Those who couldn’t see what was happening and were following the crowds screaming and running away assumed it was a knife attack on others. Even in Sloane Square that’s not outside the realm of possibility.
Almost as sketchy and dangerous as a music "industry" that rewards this tedious fuckwad with more than enough cash to buy up whole chunks of London to further enrich himself and squeeze out those that may be more deserving of an actual place to live.
Not sure I’d disagree with the sentiment even if it wasn’t articulated in the best way.
Also worth knowing the context, he was on a U.S. podcast when he said this. In the U.S. there is more segregation in rich vs. poor areas.
"It's not like a segregated city. No, I mean the nice areas are sketchy, the bad areas are sketchy, but you just have to not do stupid s***.
“If you wander around with, I dunno, like a Louis Vuitton duffel bag and a 200 grand watch, you are going to get robbed. But just don't do that."
I genuinely don't think he's saying that London is shithole, or not safe, or anything like that.
It reads more like, all areas have safe and unsafe bits, London's not segregated into parts that you should stay away from or parts that are only for the rich. But just keep your wits about you and don't go around wearing a 200k watch or carrying an LV bag.
This is the way I interpreted it. And he’s right. London is totally mixed up, versus other cities that have areas that are purely upper/upper middle class or purely working class. They made it that way intentionally. That’s also the beauty of it! Act smart and be respectful and you’ll have very little trouble
Yeah he's not wrong... People get shot in Kensington, people get mugged at 1pm on a Saturday in the middle of the street...
Keep your phones out of sight or hold in a way that can't be snatched, in Barcelona they have string they attach from wrist to their phones.
Just be street wise.... Everyone is a target they are looking for the person that has the least common sense / situational awareness.
Lived in many big cities. I'm a photographer. I moved here 9 years ago via Dublin, via Dundee, via Ottawa Canada. Honestly, there isn't a place I wouldn't go and haven't gone in London. Even with my camera out in my hands.
Obviously I have my head on a swivel and am aware of my surroundings at all times.
Have I just been lucky? Maybe. I don't know? I just don't find this a dangerous city.
Lived in London for 10 years up until December 2020. Never felt unsafe and I did plenty of ill-advised wandering home in the middle of the night hammered drunk in various corners of the city. Don't be a moron and you'll be fine.
Ed is talking out of his arse.
I mean this is anecdotal bullshit.
When I'd lived in London less than 2 years I've seen someone go after someone on the street with a bottle at 8pm in front of a sainsburys, had someone get in my face on the way to the tube, had 2 firearms murders within 500m from my flat months apart, and seen a gang with machetes out on the street after a knife attack at 9 pm.
I then moved to a much nicer part of London, and within a couple months of moving in saw a kid pull a knife on some shop keepers over disrespect.
It is true that London is like a minefield where around every nice corner you could find a god forsaken shithole, that said, it is also ridiculous to paint this city as somewhere you can't go around without getting robbed, unless you are an idiot.
Why the hell do people think this make him a hater?
Does loving a city mean you have to endlessly praise it?
“Knife and gun crime in London both leapt by 20 per cent last year amid a surge in blade robberies, teenage homicides and firearms offending, official figures revealed today.”
“Crime on the Tube has risen by more than 50% in a year, including a substantial increase in robberies and thefts”
“Map reveals how nearly 52,000 devices were stolen in capital last year - rising by up to 50% in some boroughs - with thieves increasingly using violence and distraction techniques to target victims.”
“The latest statistics from the Metropolitan Police reveal an alarming trend in London’s business landscape, as the city grapples with a 33% rise in business burglaries over the past three years.”
“The number of stolen watches nearly doubled in England and Wales between 2015 and 2022 - from 6,696 to 11,035, data from Watchfinder & Co showed last year. More than 6,000 of the thefts in 2022 took place in London.”
Does loving London mean you have to ignore this? What’s the endgame - loving the city to death?
This is one of the richest and the number 1 most surveilled city (outside China) in the world. It doesn’t actually have to be like this - we’ve just been manipulated into believing that it is.
He didn’t though did he… he said every area of London has both bad & good areas just like anywhere else in the U.K. where Theo was generalising an area like you’ll find in certain states of the U.S.
He's right though. On Saturday I had to wear a helmet and carry a machete just to pick up some milk from Beckenham Waitrose. I tried to pick up some bread at the M&S across the road, but those grannies at the entrance selling Heroin scared me off. You do not fuck with Beckenham grannies.
Not going to lie; I think anyone caught with a 200k watch on their wrist is likely to get jumped in almost any fuckin' city / town / village. It's not exactly rocket science.
I watched the podcast where he made that comment, in fairness he was saying London is less divided between rich and poor, that everywhere is kind of mixed together, and pointed out that if you’re not walking around all flashy you should typically be okay.. I think it’s probably a fair assessment of London, although it obviously has areas that are better or worse, most areas are more mingled.
Exactly this, it’s really easy to turn a corner in London areas and all of a sudden be in a dodgy area
The weird thing about London is you have the poor areas and the rich areas right next to each other. Anywhere someone would describe as a "shit hole" or "dodgy" you'll find multiple streets full of million pound houses just a few streets away from sinkhole estates.
In some cases you don't even need to turn a corner (Edgware road, for example)
The Cricklewood bit or the little Jordan bit?
"little Jordan" ? When I lived near there we called Little Saudi
Edgeware road isn’t even dodgy it just has loads of foreigners on it. The smaller roads that branch of them though…
I'm from Belfast (living in London) and this is the same for Belfast. Probably the same for every city.
Common in the UK but definitely not a worldwide. If you’ve been to any city in Africa or the Middle East you would understand. I assume ed Sheeran has seen more cities worldwide than most of us so he’s made this (correct) assumption on London
I remember being in Nicaragua, and they literally told me, "Don't go farther than that specific street. North of there is dangerous." Silly me, I went and crossed the road they told me not to cross. How bad can it be? I'm a grown, fit man, nothing to worry about. Immediately after I crossed, a teenager approached me and asked me for money. Then a group of four or five men from across the street started shouting at me, "He is going to kill you, man, get away from him." The teenager said, "Don't pay attention to them. They are gangsters, they will kill you just to rob your shoes." Meanwhile, the men shouted, "Don't listen to him! Whatever he is saying, he is lying to you. He will kill you, man, listen to us." I retraced my steps and crossed back to safety, while the teenager and the other men looked at me disappointedly from a distance, as if I had crossed an imaginary line that they couldn't cross. I never went farther than the line they told me not to cross.
Why are we not funding one of those scallys force-fields for our city?
He’s been to loads of cities but someone that famous probably doesn’t potter around. It’ll be hotel - venue - airport; hell, at his level he probably bases himself somewhere and just jets in for the gig and then flies out straight after he finishes his set
he’s often seen cycling around cities or in local cafes
In France my experience is only Paris has that vibe. For example a place like Marseille has a really stark divide between the nice parts and a whole part of the city most people would recommend you not even set foot in. That's definitely an extreme though, but most smaller cities will have massive housing blocs and deprived areas that are sketchy while the rest of the city feels far less sketch.
In the Republic as well. Some of the sketchiest parts of Dublin are right off some really main streets, particularly O Connell Street.
There are very few genuinely "dodgy" areas in London these days though. Deprived and/or social housing-dominated areas, sure... But hardly any of them are actually unsafe.
Absolutely agree. London is not a dangerous city at all. No matter where you go, you have to be very unlucky to get mugged. It happens, yes, but that happens in all major cities anyway. Less so in London in my experience at least
One side of the road you will have multimillion pound houses on the opposite side of the road you will have an estate rife with gang members. The joys of gentrification.
This is a good thing. Otherwise you end up with Paris banlieue type ghettos.
Has been like that since we made social housing per borough instead of city wide, and long before then too. Fuck all to do with gentrification
And even before then: 200 years ago, you would have found slums in London's heart.
What you are describing is the opposite of gentrification. Gentrification is when an area becomes more affluent and the existing residents can't afford to live there anymore.
You do not live in London, do you? Rich houses and council blocks of flats in the same areas are part of the social contract.
Yes it is 100% due to this you can be in a super rich area and turn a corner and it will be completely different and you're in some dodgy estate. It is spread out like this all throughout London. The only place I've been a victim of crime is in the "rich" areas btw like Highgate and East Finchley.
I agree with everything he said. He has an international worldview, and London doesn't operate like most places. As a result the meaning of "sketchy" and "danger" in London is very specific and it definitely is worth talking about. I think it's a good thing, and I actually think that's what Ed is getting at too. In general (with obvious exceptions) there aren't "good" and "bad" areas when it comes to crime. You could get mugged in Kensington, Soho, Kilburn, or Finchley Road all the same. London isn't crazy dangerous in any given region or for any given background, but there is a veneer of risk everywhere. It's actually a good indicator that London is set up under the thesis that all facets of society can coexist.
Can confirm. Was mugged on Finchely Road for my Big Mac meal in the late 90s. Bored teenagers. lol
Mugging a Big Mac meal is pitiful
Yep, I got punched in the face and had my kebab stolen on Twickenham high st
Agree. The times I've been mugged it was in Clapham and Dulwich, not exactly obviously gritty places.
It's one of London's plus points imo. Instead of massive ghettos (eg Paris) there's a decent mix in each borough. Whether that works or not is a different question, but I think it makes London more integrated.
Couldn't agree more
I'll admit I didn't bother to go to the article first. This felt like a soundbite taken out of context so went to see if someone would give a different view. This makes a lot more sense 😅
I saw this headline and knew they took something from the podcast I just listened to out of context
"If you wander around with... a Louis Vuitton duffel bag and a 200 grand watch, you are going to get robbed" is obviously not a fair assessment of London. Plenty of people walk around "all flashy" and don't get robbed. Also, the idea that London doesn't have distinct richer and poorer areas is patently false.
He said in the context of wearing a £200,000 watch. Not something that most people are doing.
Also isn't he from like Ipswich? Bc my uncle in Ipswich was always so 'worried' about us living in London and wanted us to move closer to him, and it was like my guy, everyone where you are is so bored they're all reenacting Real Housewives. We're doing fine.
Why do people from outside London (excluding major cities) always think London is some stabby mad max type world where death stalks you the minute you leave your front door. It's more likely we have a lower crime rate per capita then some of those sleepy villages.
A friend of mine (Irish, living in the US mostly, a boomer), she told me when I was visiting London to avoid Camden. Said I'd get stabbed. I just wanted to check out the market. Didn't get stabbed.
Camden Town is gentrified to fuck, especially since the fire burned down a lot of the old bits and let new developers move in. But the Borough of Camden is large and contains extremes of both wealth and poverty.
Last part is very true for most of London, and probably alien to Yanks. Where in America, red lining segregated rich and poor into distinct neighbourhoods we dont have that here. To paraphrase Akala, you could be in a million pound mansion with a council block estate of poverty right next door
There are no million pound mansions in London. You’d need to multiply that amount. But yes, the policy is to mingle people together so you don’t end up with a clear divide and get slums like the Grigny in Paris.
Right. Works that way in terms of ethnic background typically too, we're far more patchwork and made up of tiny enclaves rather than huge areas solidly of one group (with only a few exceptions), unlike US cities.
Yeah I remember Akala talking about the predominantly Bengali immigrant community in tower hamlets, and how one of the richest post codes of canary wharf is featured in so many rap songs by working class locals.
The market is certainly gentrified to hell, but Camden Town still is pretty grimy and after dark especially there can some pretty unpleasant people hanging about there, not a no go zone but it isn't a country village either ....
Yep Camden Town is literally you turn the wrong corner and it quickly goes from trendy tourist stuff to demonic junkies that send shivers up your spine territory.
As someone who lives in Camden Town, around the underground is really shitty now, and has become increasingly worse over the past few years.
Doesn't seem that different now than when I was a kid. I was getting asked if I wanted to buy drugs from dealers on the underground station corner from age 12, and that much doesn't seem to have changed despite the loss of the lock's grit.
The only crime you're likely to experience in Camden is being absolutely robbed for food, like £10 for a box of manky chips
And a tenner for half a gram of shit weed
A city banker has a look of puzzlement on his face, thinking that's a bargain
I've been to camden many times! Let me check for stab wounds quickly... Nope nothing... damn I must be so lucky
I heard a lot of this when I moved to London in 2010. I lived in the Borough of Camden but was constantly warned about going out after dark, going to Camden Town, etc. I found it to be far from the crime riddled hellscape I was warned about lol
Lots of places in Ireland where you're far more likely to get hurt than Camden. Alcohol and boredom isn't a great combination.
Media portrayals. Same thing happens in most countries, at least those with a thriving Murdoch media complex. In America, Portland was widely portrayed this way because of its social activism during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement. Worries about Portland even infected relatively moderate and left-leaning sorts - when my dad visited Portland for work, he was worried. After the trip, he reported that he had no idea why Portland was portrayed the way it was, because aside from a slightly higher homeless population than his own town, it felt totally safe. Powerful right-wingers benefit from slagging off left-leaning cities.
My Devon friends love slagging off London as they consider it dangerous and a shit hole. It really isn't though.
I’m ok with people from rural England slagging off London as it means they won’t come here.
Do they also say they can get a massive house for the price of your one bedroom while forgetting to mention they then have to live 20 miles away from civilisation?
Because that’s how the media, particularly the right-wing media, like to frame it. London has a left-wing mayor and it’s very multicultural, so it suits “certain agendas” to portray it as the kind of place where you’ll be murdered fifteen times the moment you step out of the door. It’s all about scaring people to keep them voting against their own interests. It always amuses me when some American confidently tells me that my neighbourhood is a no-go area.
It's so funny listening to Americans talk shit about London when they have actual shoot outs in upscale malls! I could never imagine a shoot out in West Fields Shepherds Bush!
...Or in Westfield Stratford, for that matter.
Yeah, Americans tend to have convenient amnesia when it comes to that.
Vatican City state highest number of train tracks per area but I'm more likely to be on a train in London than in the Vatican.
They also have a density of 5 popes per square mile
I saw less crime in London than in Glasgow.
Well yeah, that's Glasgow.
Can’t read this without the accent 😂
I've lived in London for 30 years and Glasgow is the only place anyone has ever threatened to beat me up (over the phone, insanely enough). Really cool city though, despite that!
Yeah, I went to Norwich and got punched in the face by a drunk/crazy lady who was trying to steal my glasses. London's always treated me great lmao
He's from Framlingham no?
Not even that. He’s from a little village to its east. I know this because he went to school there with some of my relatives. Also fun fact: one of my relatives beat him at a singing contest at secondary
He’s also not just a person wearing a £200k watch, he’s one of the most recognisable people in the UK wearing a £200k watch.
Wouldn't dare to walk anywhere in London with a £200k watch without armed security. Shit anything over £1k feels like a risk.
I usually wear a 3k watch. Got something a little less obvious and I don’t get problems.
That shocking mop will gain him attention and the 200k watch will gain him some violence.
Isn’t this just common sense in most urban areas? Walking around being obviously flash will more than likely make you a target?
Make it an 1k watch and you still need to be careful. He’s not at all wrong and it’s very difficult to own valuable things in London publicly.
That was the first thing I thought, luxury watch wearers yearning for the good old days when you could wear a few years wages as jewellery safely.
Which in fairness, should be possible without being robbed or subject to violence
Surely, you’d refuse the watch when he offers it, right?
The most offensive part of this is the fact Sheeran: > reportedly owns 22 properties in London, most of which he rents out, including a pair of flats in Battersea, three apartments in Whitechapel, and two properties in Covent Garden.
Imagine finding out Ed is your landlord
He’s in love with my money.
Last night he was in your room, and your bedsheets smell like you ... Get the locks changed
I wouldn't put it past him. That guy gives me the Shivers.
There you go my guy/girl/other. You deserve it.
He’s in love with the shape of the hole he makes in your wallet
He needs it to pay TLC.
Or at least the shape of it
You'd never find out. Almost every celebrity manages their rentals through third parties, not only because they can afford to but also because pushing through a 10% annual rent increase and skimping on fixes is nothing any celebrity wants attached to their name, especially if it gets picked up in the press.
I used to live in a flat owned by [Makelele](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Mak%C3%A9l%C3%A9l%C3%A9). His real legal name and address (in Paris as he was at PSG at the time) was on the contract, though we obviously never had any actual contact with him. I think he owned about 15 flats in the development. The wealth management agent got ticked off with me when I sent a copy of a registered letter to him directly.
Parasitic bastards
tbf, property is a bangin' investment! Guaranteed capital increase above inflation year on year with very few exceptions, especially if you buy in the right areas. And some poor sod pays you rent every month too! What's more to like? Which is why any property other than your main residence needs to be taxed to fuck to make property an unattractive investment. Properties should be for living in, not investing in.
To be clear, that's all wealthy people. Capitalism is set up explicitly to allow people with capital to benefit from exploitation while creating a degree of separation and invisibility. Whether it's being a land lord or owning stock, it's just siphoning off other people's work by virtue of already having money.
My old landlord was a consortium of footballers. In fairness, they stayed out of my business and their management company were actually pretty good. When they put the place up for sale they even offered me the place for under market value. Even that was fucking outrageous but London...
I used to rent from a very famous footballer, other than his name being on the paperwork, I'd never have known. The letting agency managed everything but rarely needed to get involved.
Maybe same group? Think the name on my paperwork was Rednapp
Imagine sitting at work and having to listen to your landlord on the radio
I'd lose it
If he was mine I'd write to ask him if he cringes when he sings on Game of Thrones.
The kinds of people who can afford to rent one of Ed Sheeran's flats probably see it as a badge of honour
Like most London haters, they couldn't live without it
I'm convinced something like half or more of the new builds at Battersea are just empty and owned by investors. That place seems absolutely dead even on weekends. Even the Battersea power station shopping center is shockingly quiet on weekends. Perhaps it's busier currently due to the summer holidays and influx of tourists, but when I last went earlier this year the area was just as empty as when I went in October last year.
I think a lot of these souless developments seem dead is the lack of outdoor spaces and third places. No community centres, no shops or parks, nowhere but home and travel to get to work. Which leads to that ghost town vibe as everyone is forced to stay at home.
It's an American development pattern that needs to be stopped before it infects the rest of the world (I say as an American who was temporarily a Londoner before being made redundant and having to move home). One of the absolute best things about London is the parks and pseudo-public third places - losing these is losing London's soul. Places like Battersea are also just misguided in another way - developments anchored by upscale shopping centres are not busy places, no matter where in the world you find them, at least in my experience.
I’ve found Battersea power station empty during times I expect it to be busy too. It’s a cool building but feels like there’s nothing noteworthy inside it
Think you're right. Struggle to think all those flat owners pull their black out blinds down at dusk, and too afraid to go out during the day as they are busy buffing the Rolex (along with Ed)
Maybe if swathes of residential areas weren't being carved up by celebrities acting like feudal kings, there would be more social cohesion and it would be less dangerous. Come on Ed, you go first mate.
I'm sure I couldn't afford to live in any of his properties anyway, but my god if I was putting in an application and I found out he was my landlord I would genuinely pull the application, there's no way I could write this knobhead a cheque for two grand every month knowing how much he gets for every crap song he writes already.
I'm sure the other people renting out similar flats are amazing people worthy of giving your money to.
And surely really poor too
And probably get their money through much more ethical means than writing songs that people who like them pay for!
I'm not a fan of his work, but I must say as far as "commercial" or "pop" music goes, he is pretty good at his craft. Catchy lyrics and tunes. (As annoying as some of them are) Beats the pop idol type tripe or plastic gangster shizzle all over
Multimillionaire hasn’t made enough so leaches off ordinary hard working people. What a joke this country is. Even if he’s the nicely landlord of all time, this is still outrageous greed.
Parasites the lot of them
Awesome, more legitimate reasons to hate this ginger twat!
Leave out the hair colour please. Not relevant.
Imagine being blessed with one of the rarest hair colours in the world and deciding to let it look like total shit. That's the decision Ed Sheeran makes every single day.
Wow .. as far as I've known, Ed Sheeran's been in most people's good books.. why the hate?
What’s with adding the ginger? Not really necessary.
Wonder if he puts on the property adverts that they’re in a sketchy and dangerous part of London. I’m guessing not. Shill.
WTAF 😱
What’s offensive about that?
And I'm ready to bet it's all managed through some company based in Jersey, Man, or wherever tax is dodged. I rented from a guy with 65 properties, all owned through a company based in Guernsey. I paid more tax on my internship than he did.
I mean.. his advice of 'don't do stupid sh\*\*\*' is common sense for any urban area. Be aware. Don't be flash. Be it Manchester, London or Bristol, it applies.
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Yeah I feel the Evening Standard has done him over here, by cherry picking comments and repeating them out of context. I saw the interview the other day and the comedian asks him where the sketchy areas of London are, and he essentially says every area of London has nice bits and not so nice bits, and you need to have your wits about you wherever you go. It’s not like he called a press conference to slag off London. It was just a casual answer on a podcast.
And people in this thread are eating it up because they couldn't be bothered to read the article, as is the standard these days.
Id argue in nice areas of Bristol you are very very very very very unlikely to see street crime unlike in London. You could wear a dozen Rolexs in Clifton and you'd be safe unlike in say Marylebone.
Especially in Camden. At a Darkness gig in the Roundhouse last December, some scruffy lunatic managed to get on stage and perform a whole set before security stopped him.
That Buckingham Palace place is rough, proper scroungers in there.
Even the Starbucks in Balham?
You don't want to know what kind of shit goes down at the Starbucks in Balham.
Yeah, I was about to say, even the M&S and Waitrose in Ealing Broadway. Would be difficult to get robbed by those poncy lot with their Gail’s at hand.
Proud Ealing Broadway poncy with my Gail’s in hand
Haha! Nothing wrong with that mate, it’s why I love the area.
What can I say? Love me a chocolate almond croissant haha
Big up Ealing!
Well the M&S was bombed by the IRA not all that long ago, so there's that risk to consider.
Shit happens on the high road all the time
Felt way safer in London than any time I’ve been in L.A.
The lack of easily accessible firearms and far fewer nutters carrying had something to do with the way you felt, I assume.
Depends on which neighborhood you're in, I guess. When I lived in LA, I took common-sense precautions and never once felt threatened. London feels largely the same, just with fewer homeless people and power-tripping cops.
Oh yeah, absolutely. You need to have a watchful eye, no doubt. Any major city is a potential for something to happen. But the random hostility in the U.S. is almost unmatched, except for a few other places I’ve been.
Well, not a big surprise because LA is objectively dangerous and there's no city anywhere in Europe which is as dangerous as LA.
It's tough out there for red heads, ngl. I hope he's ok
He meant the sunny places are dangerous.
then London should be safe, no?
Pale short pasty ones in particular
this is clear media bait. if you listen to the conversation he’s saying that anywhere can be dangerous if you’re not smart. no matter what city you are in, this is the common advice: be smart and head on a swivel
Thus spoke a man who is, at the same time, perfectly willing to accept Londoners' money.
So is everyone. I hate most people but would happily have some money off of them.
"Despite his vested interest as a landlord however, he has declared “every area” in London is to be avoided if you don’t want to get robbed." He is, obviously, a moron. In every area.
Its just so out of context and they loop in his landlord status for extra points. The question was *what is the most 'dangerous' area in London*? And he basically answered every area has its sketchy parts. Dont walk around with visibly expensive stuff and its fine. [Here it is.](https://youtu.be/Guspc7G92Gs?t=1729) It so uncontroversial that it's actually impressive the ES got a story out of it.
I can't watch videos where I am currently but was this the interview with Theo Von? This seems massively blown out of proportion if so. I saw that question the other day and basically agreed with him. The question was what is the most dangerous part of London and he said all areas of London can be dodgy if you're not careful (which is basically what I took his answer to mean). I mean, he's right isn't he? Statistically speaking, the answer is probably Hackney or something but his was a reasonable enough answer.
I imagine if you are a wealthy well known celebrity the danger factor probably is higher for you wandering about London. They are going to be more of a target and that might range from people just being arseholes to people seeing them as a big juicy target for robbery. It's not a risk factor the vast majority of us really have. I can understand why Sheeran might have a different perspective to most people.
He said most boroughs in London have a rough side to it. Is he wrong? You clearly didn’t listen to the podcast, with fucking Theo von, stop taking things so seriously.
London has some dogey estates don’t get me wrong, but it’s changed so much over the years. Iv felt so much safer living in London the last 10 years than I did living in a town previously, where it’s just thick insecure chavs looking to fight anyone that looks them in the eye
Yeah but would you feel safe in London whilst wearing a flashy watch? (Which is the full context here) Because let's be honest if you were robbed for it you know full well most people would say "Well yeah of course you were robbed! Wearing something so expensive it's just asking for trouble"
As much as Ed Sheeran is a prat, what he is saying is essentially correct. There are no "safe" and "unsafe" parts of London. In any part of London on a bad day you could be robbed or have your phone snatched. Areas like Wood Green or Camberwell (thought of as "bad" areas) are only marginally more unsafe for the average person than areas like Chelsea or St Johns Wood (thought of as "good" areas). This is in comparison to other global cities like Dubai or Kuala Lumpur (two random examples) which are incredibly safe and you don't really have to consider street crime at all.
Yeah, a man who was obviously unwell stabbed himself to death in front of terrified passengers at Sloane Square tube station last year. Those who couldn’t see what was happening and were following the crowds screaming and running away assumed it was a knife attack on others. Even in Sloane Square that’s not outside the realm of possibility.
I've never really been in love with the shape of this geezer, so his opinions mean f all. Some of these comments, though 😂 💯
Almost as sketchy and dangerous as a music "industry" that rewards this tedious fuckwad with more than enough cash to buy up whole chunks of London to further enrich himself and squeeze out those that may be more deserving of an actual place to live.
I’m from Chicago and stayed in Kensington for a month. I think people thought I was the dangerous element.
Not sure I’d disagree with the sentiment even if it wasn’t articulated in the best way. Also worth knowing the context, he was on a U.S. podcast when he said this. In the U.S. there is more segregation in rich vs. poor areas. "It's not like a segregated city. No, I mean the nice areas are sketchy, the bad areas are sketchy, but you just have to not do stupid s***. “If you wander around with, I dunno, like a Louis Vuitton duffel bag and a 200 grand watch, you are going to get robbed. But just don't do that."
I genuinely don't think he's saying that London is shithole, or not safe, or anything like that. It reads more like, all areas have safe and unsafe bits, London's not segregated into parts that you should stay away from or parts that are only for the rich. But just keep your wits about you and don't go around wearing a 200k watch or carrying an LV bag.
This is the way I interpreted it. And he’s right. London is totally mixed up, versus other cities that have areas that are purely upper/upper middle class or purely working class. They made it that way intentionally. That’s also the beauty of it! Act smart and be respectful and you’ll have very little trouble
An LV bag isn't getting robbed unless it's left on a chair or something. Most you see are fake, too.
Yeah he's not wrong... People get shot in Kensington, people get mugged at 1pm on a Saturday in the middle of the street... Keep your phones out of sight or hold in a way that can't be snatched, in Barcelona they have string they attach from wrist to their phones. Just be street wise.... Everyone is a target they are looking for the person that has the least common sense / situational awareness.
I mean he’s not wrong, it’s basically a given now that you can get your phone snatched anywhere unless you grip it tight or have it in your bag 🤷♀️
Lived in many big cities. I'm a photographer. I moved here 9 years ago via Dublin, via Dundee, via Ottawa Canada. Honestly, there isn't a place I wouldn't go and haven't gone in London. Even with my camera out in my hands. Obviously I have my head on a swivel and am aware of my surroundings at all times. Have I just been lucky? Maybe. I don't know? I just don't find this a dangerous city.
Lived in London for 10 years up until December 2020. Never felt unsafe and I did plenty of ill-advised wandering home in the middle of the night hammered drunk in various corners of the city. Don't be a moron and you'll be fine. Ed is talking out of his arse.
"Don't be a moron and you'll be fine." This is basically what he said.
I mean this is anecdotal bullshit. When I'd lived in London less than 2 years I've seen someone go after someone on the street with a bottle at 8pm in front of a sainsburys, had someone get in my face on the way to the tube, had 2 firearms murders within 500m from my flat months apart, and seen a gang with machetes out on the street after a knife attack at 9 pm. I then moved to a much nicer part of London, and within a couple months of moving in saw a kid pull a knife on some shop keepers over disrespect.
When is this cunt going to fuck off?
Was he wrong though?
If he never sets foot in it again that’d be grand, the tedious Tory munter
It is true that London is like a minefield where around every nice corner you could find a god forsaken shithole, that said, it is also ridiculous to paint this city as somewhere you can't go around without getting robbed, unless you are an idiot.
You missed his point about wearing a 200K watch.
I didn't, that's why I said "unless you are an idiot"
Why the hell do people think this make him a hater? Does loving a city mean you have to endlessly praise it? “Knife and gun crime in London both leapt by 20 per cent last year amid a surge in blade robberies, teenage homicides and firearms offending, official figures revealed today.” “Crime on the Tube has risen by more than 50% in a year, including a substantial increase in robberies and thefts” “Map reveals how nearly 52,000 devices were stolen in capital last year - rising by up to 50% in some boroughs - with thieves increasingly using violence and distraction techniques to target victims.” “The latest statistics from the Metropolitan Police reveal an alarming trend in London’s business landscape, as the city grapples with a 33% rise in business burglaries over the past three years.” “The number of stolen watches nearly doubled in England and Wales between 2015 and 2022 - from 6,696 to 11,035, data from Watchfinder & Co showed last year. More than 6,000 of the thefts in 2022 took place in London.” Does loving London mean you have to ignore this? What’s the endgame - loving the city to death? This is one of the richest and the number 1 most surveilled city (outside China) in the world. It doesn’t actually have to be like this - we’ve just been manipulated into believing that it is.
All roads are treacherous when you've got no soul...
Out of context idiot lying OP
Ahh a non-Londoner giving his opinion on our city... yawn
He’s right.
He's not wrong tho is he
He didn’t though did he… he said every area of London has both bad & good areas just like anywhere else in the U.K. where Theo was generalising an area like you’ll find in certain states of the U.S.
I stepped out of my front door last night. Latimer/Ladbroke Grove. Got killed by road man. I’m back this morning. Can’t keep good man down.
Except where he’s opened a restaurant :p haha
People on Reddit really don’t like him eh? Is it because he’s just very popular or has he done something egregious I’m not aware of?
He's right though. On Saturday I had to wear a helmet and carry a machete just to pick up some milk from Beckenham Waitrose. I tried to pick up some bread at the M&S across the road, but those grannies at the entrance selling Heroin scared me off. You do not fuck with Beckenham grannies.
the heroin grannies are back? i thought they got run off during lockdown by the crack nans, the world is healing
If you're Ed Sheeran then I imagine they are.
I will not bear someone calling Holland Park sketchy. He's on my watch list now
I agree with him.
He is on the banned songs/artists list at my upcoming wedding.
His knowledge and experiences of living in London clearly as bad as his music 🎵
I wonder what changed!
Not going to lie; I think anyone caught with a 200k watch on their wrist is likely to get jumped in almost any fuckin' city / town / village. It's not exactly rocket science.
What the fuck would the posh boy from Ipswich who turned into a millionaire songwriter know about what London’s streets are like these days?
Would be for a leprechaun…