Sam Smith, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

Needless to say, tonight’s expectations are sky high. Ahead of this evening’s show, Sam Smith’s stock has risen with his every move: just a handful of days ago, the singer was awarded with his Critics’ Choice Award at the BRIT Awards. It’s probably propped up against his BBC Sound of 2014 trophy.

The great part about that? By the time that he steps onto the stage at the packed out Shepherds Bush Empire, the crowd are already in love. Yet, rather than sitting back and coasting like he no doubt could, the singer is entirely on form. Visibly ecstatic and a little taken aback from the get-go, the 21-year-old eases us through a sampling of songs from soon-to-be-released debut ‘In The Lonely Hour’. A human melting pot of smooth jazz and slick R&B, his tracks – mostly unknown by the crowd, admittedly, but that barely makes a difference - provide a much more rounded glimpse of his talent, with his voice remaining mightily impressive throughout.

From his spine-tingly cover of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ to his re-imagination of Disclosure’s ‘Latch’, there’s not a move pulled wrong. He remains controlled but endearing, walking the line between performer and entertainer perfectly. It’s the smile on his face that’s the greatest part of tonight though, because it just can’t be shifted. And rightly so, as this is just the beginning of things to come.