There’s a lot of people who love and adore Lily Allen. These people aren’t exclusively female, and these males and females aren’t just teenagers. Tonight at Festival Hall the crowd ranged from middle-aged women admiring the mother of two, to teenage boys excited by the saucy star’s recurring sexual innuendo.
So, what sets Lily Allen apart from your regular pop star? When the London native arrived in 2006 it was her sassy wit (coupled with ska-inflected production from UK producers Future Cut) that made her an appealing alternative to the cookie-cutter fare dominant in mainstream pop. Even though she subsequently became a mega star (then a mother, now a fashion retailer) her outspoken, mockney personality remains in tact. Unfortunately, on this year’s comeback LP Sheezus, Allen’s cocky humour is clothed in vapid, radio-ready attire. Sheezus is easily her most dismissible set of songs, but touring in support of the record meant tonight’s set list drew heavily from it.
The gig started strong, with the new LP’s title track, followed by lead single Hard Out Here. The energy of Allen’s live band – including drumming powerhouse John Jenkins from The Streets – helped strip away some of the recording’s isolating sheen. This allowed ironic snarls like “It’s hard out here, for a bitch” to be delivered with the emphasis they deserve. Four dancers also joined in for these two numbers. Allen herself participated in the choreography but not with any devoted precision, which actually prevented it being a tacky ploy.
As we progressed, old favourites such as Smile, Everyone’s At It and LDN were clear highlights, whereas lighter/iPhone waving numbers Who’d Have Known and Our Time were basically yawn-inducing. See, Lily Allen operates at a few levels of cheesy. She tilted kitsch in her favour on country romp As Long As I Got You, but when sentimentality pervaded the entire arrangement things inevitably turned schmaltzy.
Nevertheless, when you love and adore Lily Allen, this isn’t a detractor. In fact, it’s probably perceived as a chance to make closer contact with her psyche, without the trappings of sarcasm and vitriol. Thus, it was hardly surprising that, when Allen exited the stage after a gloriously triumphant Fuck You, the cries for an encore were near deafening. Thankfully, she soon returned with 2009 super smash The Fear. Contrary to the song’s thematic uncertainty, tonight there was no trepidation about how one ought to feel. It was an ecstatic performance of a quality pop song, gobbled up by all and sundry.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Photo by Charles Newbury
Loved: Dancers wearing dog masks.
Hated: Festival Hall’s dungeon-like drinking area.
Drank: I’m not sure, it was too dark to tell.
