The blunt honesty of Lily Allen’s storytelling over the decades has cemented her as a figure of Britishness, or more specifically Londoness, that few other female pop artists have nailed down.
Her crass descriptions sung with her chippy unfiltered London accent resonated with audiences across the UK during her dominance in the early 2000s – and for many, this is Allen at her peak. For the crowds gathering outside of Greenwich’s O2 on a summer evening however, that may just be the nostalgic days of a new type of pop artist.
The release of West End Girl last year was an explosive hello of a musician returning to form. Off the back of a public breakdown of her celebrity marriage with Stranger Things star David Harbour, Allen’s ruthless exposure of a man known for his father-figure character in Netflix’s hit show was material for gossip magazines globally. But it was the way in which Allen wittily tore into the pain of her divorce that marked it out as a beautiful exposure of self, removing the album from just an exposé of a beloved actor, into an experience that resonated with many.
It was not a surprise, therefore, to witness the sold out arena empathise so much with Allen in her 45-minute long show. Starting chronologically, Allen enters the stage all alone, no band, no back-up dancers, and starts her one woman show with her poppy titular song ‘West End Girl’. The joy fades when a ringing begins and Allen picks up the phone and recites her side of the conversation she is having with her husband about opening the marriage. Allen’s disappointment incites thunderous boos from the audience.
These theatrical elements were scattered among her album, and her decision to perform exclusively the album back to front was a bold choice which ultimately paid off. We follow Allen through the woes of her breakup, fully feeling embedded into her heartbreak and recovery. It is an atypical show from a singer who most know best from her older hits, but that is precisely what makes it work.
Empathy is at the heart of this performance. Allen’s time on the West End might have been the catalyst for the breakdown of her marriage, but her performance is indelibly human to an extent few pop musicians have mastered. She becomes visibility emotional whilst performing ‘Dallas Major’, and ‘Let You W/In’ brings out pure vulnerability as she sings one of her final songs about the break-up.
But the level of respect for what Allen is doing at the show indicates that veteran pop singers should step out of the bounds of what a conventional concert should be. This is the second run of ‘Presenting West End Girl’, which was originally designed for small-scale theatre shows. Now with three sold out nights in London’s O2 arena, off the back of a successful nationwide arena tour, the fans have proved unconventional works.
It was especially interesting to hear the breakout hit ‘Pussy Palace’ being sung by the enthusiastic crowd with a sense of caution. Reciting it word-for-word, the fans did not belt out the hit, even those standing at the bottom of Greenwich’s O2. Despite the song’s fanfare and commercial success, they maintained Allen as the primary vocalist, singing with her and not above her.
Lily Allen has brought herself back into the musical sphere in a way then that only she could. Her honesty and vulnerability was translated straight to an audience in the form of theatrical spectacle. And perhaps the most impressive element was that we were with her the whole way through it.
Review by Bethan King
Lily Allen: Website / Facebook / Instagram
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