Sam Smith, Abbey Road Studios review: soaring vocals and soul-bearing lyrics

With a career built on anthems of unrequited love and plenty of heartache, Sam Smith probably wouldn’t be your first choice to soundtrack a Friday night jolly, but it has been a weird year.

Taking over the legendary Abbey Road Studios to celebrate the release of third album Love Goes with a global live-stream, Smith was determined to have a good time regardless of the circumstances. During these confusing times “the one thing that has got me through is music,” the singer-songwriter said at the start of the gig, before using the following 60 minutes to have some fun.

The 28-year-old Londoner was joined by three backing singers and a four-piece band (creating a Covid-compliant bubble), for a show that mixed mixed passionate live performances with behind-the-scenes footage and stories about the songs. It gave the new album, which made up a bulk of the thirteen-song set, a sense of familiarity despite it being out for less than 24 hours. It was intimate in a way that Smith’s usual home of arenas never could be.

There was a celebratory feeling in the air at Abbey Road, from the opening drama of Young, a quiet yet powerful track about wanting to live life without judgement, to the wide-eyed pop of Dancing With A Stranger, which Smith – who came out as non-binary last year, and uses the pronoun "they" – said was a song that gave them “permission to be my queer self”.

Written about the breakdown of a two-year relationship, Love Goes was originally pencilled in for a May release under the melodramatic title of To Die For, until coronavirus made both the date and title seem like bad ideas. If you’re expecting something bitter and angry though, look elsewhere. The twinkling dancefloor strut of Diamonds, an upbeat track about a gold-digging ex, is about as fierce as it gets. Rather than revenge, most of Smith’s tracks are about moving on.

“I’m stepping into a place where I’m having fun with my music and making whatever I want to make,” Smith told comedian Katherine Ryan during a post-show Q&A. After so many past successes, they've definitely earned the right to relax and enjoy themselves. In 2014, Smith followed in the footsteps of Adele by winning both the Brits Critics’ Choice and The BBC Sound Of… Award. Since then, they’ve picked up 4 Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and more Brit Awards, as well as recording the first Bond Theme going to Number One in the UK. Despite having a wildly non-pop star name, Smith has the sort of soaring yet tender voice that would make singing a sourdough recipe feel emotional, while their direct, soul-bearing lyrics have helped many a fan to tend a wounded heart.

It wasn’t all about the majestic sorrow of Stay With Me and Too Good At Goodbyes tonight though. The band had a blast with a dreamy take on Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time ahead of the sultry, sassy Promises which, in Smith's words, “turned Abbey Road into a gay bar.” The folksy soul of Kids Again was full of warm nostalgia, a stripped-back rendition of the weepy Lay Me Down couldn’t have been more beautiful, and Love Goes's playful, piano-led title track saw Smith trading emotional blows with singer/producer Labrinth before the song turned loud, proud and triumphant.

According to Smith, “you can’t sing without an open heart,” and on Friday night they put theirs on the line. After a break, they hope to have another album written before staging live shows as normal becomes a possibility (“What’s next for me is getting through this, just like everyone else”) but for now the message is “let’s be sad together and let’s celebrate that together.” Sam Smith knows how to party like it’s 2020.