Lily Allen On Tour

From the release of her debut single, Smile, back in 2006, for just over a decade, Lily Allen was seen as a musical force to be reckoned with. Armed with an intelligent playfulness to her lyrics and an uplifting lilt to her melodies, she easily soared up the charts and set stages alight with her presence the world over. Then she left Parlophone and switched her focus to other endeavours – from podcasts to plays; she seemed to be enjoying a life away from her music career. Then out of nowhere, in October of last year, she surprisingly released West End Girl.

Written and recorded in the wake of her separation from David Harbour, the release received huge critical acclaim and stormed up charts around the world. After a 7-year hiatus from her recording career, it was clear that the world was very happy to have Lily back, and her personal heartbreak was met with a lot of curiosity and sympathy, while everyone wanted to sing along to these new anthems.

Having initially toured the album earlier this year to several more intimate venues, those sold-out shows have led to an arena tour, and on one of the hottest nights of the year, it is clear that fans are desperate to hear the record live as they flock to the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.

With Lily having been criticised for only delivering her new album by some audience members during the initial tour, she has stayed true to her intention for the arena tour, and those old hits are delivered brilliantly in cello-oke style by The Dallas Minor Trio. A euphoric singalong of her early hits fills the packed arena, and it is clear that the move is popular. While it may have had its detractors on the initial tour, in the arena, it proves a real winner.

After a brief interval, Lily Allen quietly walks out of the curtain surrounding her stage and launches into an excellent rendition of West End Girl. What follows is nothing short of top-tier art. This is not a gig. This is a live interpretation of a bold, brilliant narrative album that would win huge accolades as a piece of solo musical theatre.

Lily delivers the emotions, the vocals and the anthems in a stunningly staged, thought-provoking visual feast. With a minimalist set, she transports her listeners into the complications of a relationship ending and the tumultuous journey of processing after.

Without uttering a word to her audience, she has the whole arena eating out of the palm of her hand, wanting to see what twist comes next. Brilliant is nowhere a strong enough adjective to describe the experience. Unforgettable comes close.