Live Review: Sam Smith, Emma Louise

Emma Louise kickstarted the night for Sam Smith’s return to Sydney to complete his In The Lonely Hour tour. As the excited Friday night crowd filled the arena, Emma Louise lit up the stage delivering a captivating performance, with the highlight being Jungle, which had everybody on their feet.

But it was the angelic voice of Sam Smith that we had all really come to hear, and the 23-year-old superstar was greeted with a deafening roar when he took the stage. Earlier this year Smith was devastated to cut short his In The Lonely Hour tour after suffering a haemorrhage to his vocal cords — but his return to Australia has been nothing short of magnificent, with sell-out shows being moved to bigger venues, and his voice proving to be as powerful as ever.

“I cannot tell you how happy I am to be here,” said Smith, with the sentiment being returned tenfold by screams that almost certainly echoed right throughout the city. Smith delivered a completely stripped back performance supported by a band and a bevvy of back-up singers, his finely tuned and emotion-filled vocals and warm persona spreading through the room. The night was filled with goose bumps, tears, hugs and smiles as Smith kicked off with Life Support, Together and Leave Your Lover, before bringing up the tempo with La La La and Money On My Mind.

Smith’s final hurrah, an encore of Disclosure’s Latch followed by Make It To Me and Stay With Me, was rewarded with applause that continued to build in volume for what seemed like an eternity, as we saw tears start to form in the artist's eyes on the big screen. It was a breathtaking moment and a great way to end a great night.