Sam Smith to Bring ‘Hazel Eyes’ Era to London Residency and Manchester Shows

Sam Smith will take their fifth album to UK stages this September with a series of dates that trade arena scale for seated intimacy. Fresh from the album’s announcement last month, the ‘To Be Free’ shows begin with two nights at Manchester’s Albert Hall before moving to the Coliseum in central London for an eight-night residency.

The run follows a pattern of residencies in Brooklyn and San Francisco, along with five Mexico shows in August. The London and Manchester dates land just weeks after ‘Hazel Eyes’ arrives on August 21 via Capitol Records, suggesting the live presentation will be woven tightly into the album’s narrative world. Smith has described ‘Hazel Eyes’ as a twelve-track project built around storytelling and requited love, introduced by the lead single ‘My Guy’ — a song they’ve said they “waited a lifetime to write and sing”.

Tickets for the UK shows are on presale now, with the full schedule listing the Albert Hall on September 3–4 and the Coliseum from September 8–19. The choice of venues points to an artist deliberately recalibrating toward rooms that can hold a whisper, not just a spectacle.