Sam Smith - Gig Review
Monday, November 24, 2014
The past 24 months have been very good to Sam Smith. After shooting onto the music scene with Latch (with Disclosure) and Naughty Boy's La La La, he has since gone on to become our favourite British male singer-songwriter with an insanely smoooooth voice. Like silk and honey and velvet and kittens and other nice things we can compare his voice to. I went along to his London gig at the Eventim Apollo earlier this month (shout-out to Paul who is cool and bought tickets long before "OMG I lurve Sam Smith!" became a thing.) and it was mesmerising.
First up was American singer Tori Kelly as the support act who delivered her entire set by herself with a guitar. She has a crazy range and is definitely one of my ones-to-watch in the near future. (Dare I say she reminded me of an early Taylor Swift. Boy I'm starting to sound a bit like Louis Walsh on X Factor.) You might not have heard of Tori yet, but she first made her name on YouTube and has featured on Professor Green's Lullaby. Her voice sounds pure and distinctive with hair-raising potential - watch this space.
Sam hit the high notes flawlessly and effortlessly whilst sharing a few personal anecdotes along the way (Make It To Me is a love letter to his future love). Seeing as he's a storyteller through the songs he writes, it was definitely a nice window into his world and the sometimes heartbreaking inspiration behind his songs.
Pretty much all the album tracks were covered, including a stripped down Latch and very warmly-received Money On My Mind. Soul vibes and bluesy chords - thanks to the band -packed a very big punch, and by the last ten minutes I was wishing Sam was my best friend so he could sing to me all the time. The emotion and raw power in his voice is undeniable. I won't draw any Adele comparisons, but I will say that Sam is an artist where his voice is the only thing needed to do the talking. Finally, the big finale was an incredible Stay With Me - complete with phone light swaying and all.
Considering Sam Smith is a Big Deal and one of Britain's greatest musical exports, I wouldn't be surprised if he soon embarks on an arena tour. The Apollo is a large-ish venue, but the intimacy of the songs and the way he performed them meant that we all shared in a personal retelling of his stories. His vocals are more impressive live than on the album - which is an impressive feat in itself. Sam Smith, thank you for a lovely evening.
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