 Sassy
Lily Allen plays to a packed-out Academy, 3 years
since her debut album smashed the charts. By the
size of the crowd she’s pulled in tonight,
her popularity hasn’t waned in the meantime.
Lily’s success lies in her mass appeal:
the parents who have been dragged along by their
offspring are clearly enjoying themselves, too.
A huge white curtain screens off the back of
the stage – a peek behind it reveals all
of Lily’s backing band’s instruments,
adorned with her name and plenty of glitter, along
with some massive white letters spelling out ‘LILY’.
It seems a little unfair that her supporting act,
La Roux, has to play on a small portion of the
stage, forced forward by the crumpled curtain.
La Roux’s main star is Elly Jackson, a
red-head from Brixton. Her backing keyboardists
stand completely expressionless throughout the
entire performance, but have their own peculiar
charm. Luckily, Elly provides all the charisma
for the group, with her enchanting voice and Adam
Ant style make-up and attire. The group deliver
an interesting blend of electronica and pop, and
Elly’s vocals are spot-on.
 I’m no feminist, but it’s nice to
see two women carry the show tonight. It’s
a refreshing change from the usual all-male rock
bands, and La Roux is Lily’s perfect complement.
Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting
for: Lily’s silhouette appears, projected
onto the huge white curtain. The curtain drops
and she launches straight into ‘Everyone’s
At It’. She’s dressed in a short flowery
dress with the most incredible glittery platform
heels, and she oozes attitude and sexiness.
She owns the stage and has her performance down
to a fine art. The audience is entranced; standing
on anything they can get hold of, just to catch
a glimpse of her. The highlights for me would
have to be Mark Ronson collaboration, ‘Oh
My God’, ‘LDN’, and ‘Chinese’.
She plays a tight set, and chats in between tracks
in her typically relaxed manner. Lily has matured
in recent years: she retains her childish, cockney
accent, but has developed certain sophistication.
She comes back for her encore after a quick costume
change and performs ‘Smile’ and new
single ‘The Fear’ before finishing
off the evening with her own version of Britney’s
‘Womanizer’.
La Roux – 4/5
Lily Allen – 5/5
Review By Helen Williams |
