It has taken a long time for Myles Smith to reach Australia. The British singer-songwriter was meant to tour Australia last year, playing small venues around Australia but the huge hype surrounding the singer meant that he postponed the tour to play in vastly upgraded venues to meet the ever-increasing demand for tickets to his shows. 

When he hit the stage at the Hordern Pavillion, the venue was as packed as I had ever seen it, with no room to breathe in the mosh pit and almost every seat taken. When Smith came out to a cacophony of cheers, even he seemed taken aback by the extent of the reception he received. 

“After two long years, I’m finally here and there’s no place I’d rather be,” he said. 

Smith commenced his set with “Wait for You” which was an emotional and passionate start to the set, which had the crowd going from the outset. While Smith has a predominately pop discography, his voice is silky smooth, leading to some fantastic moments live where he had the opportunity to show off his voice. 

“Our job is to put on the best performance that we can and your job is to enjoy it,” he said. “I’d love to see you laughing, crying, dancing, whatever it is. Leave your egos outside and enjoy the night”

The start of the set was strong, with some of Smith’s more powerful songs in “Behind” and “Whisper” being frontloaded to hype up the crowd, with the latter being a particularly emotional highlight. 

Smith was upfront about the trauma he suffered from his relationship with his father throughout the night and took a positive approach to discussing mental health issues, choosing to highlight just how many people in the crowd suffered at various points. Smith’s dialogue was at its best when it felt spontaneous (rather than choreographed in with the music), and it was clear that what he said resonated with a lot of people. 

Smith’s band was fantastic, with Elliot Herrington being a particular highlight on the keyboards with virtuosic solos. Given Smith’s discography is not huge at the moment, the instrumentals provided a nice contrast to the rest of the set and were well appreciated by the crowd. Smith also took the opportunity to preview some new music, which will be released later this month, which was very much in keeping in the vibes from his earlier releases. 

Smith moved towards his conclusion with “Nice to Meet You”, of which the upbeat vibes uplifted the audience as they sung along to one of the singer’s biggest tracks before returning from an encore performance of “Stargazing” with Luke Hemmings from 5 Seconds of Summer. Although the playback of the studio track drowned out the two singers for parts of the track, it was still a privilege for the crowd to hear the song that kicked everything off for Smith, as he sung the song once on stage before surfing through the crowd. 

“I’m smiling so much because you make me so happy,” he said. “It’s our first time here and not our last time.”

Overall, this was a superb introduction to Myles Smith for Australia, with the British singer showing off the breadth of his vocals and style with a concise and considered concert. His music is exciting and fresh and his vibe is one that clearly resonates with a lot of people. There is a lot that Smith can do in the music industry and it will be interesting to see the direction he takes as he moves further towards superstardom, which very much seems to be his path going forward. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Myles Smith – Hordern Pavillion – 9^th May 2025

Photo credit: Jennifer McCord