Lily Allen’s Secret West London Gig

Sometimes you don’t realise an artist has become a megastar until you see them live and realise that both their persona and musicality has become as familiar as your local offie. Because say what you like about the loud-mouthed, pop princess that is Lily Allen, she is definitely on your radar.

Monday saw her performing a secret gig organised by MySpace at the Tabernacle in Ladbroke Grove . There was a ‘dress up as a tube station’ theme with Lily donning a silver wig to appear as the late, great monarch, Victoria. Angels and Grange Hills were the most popular stations and I would like recognition for my friend’s minimalist attempt: a bottle of water and a loo roll as, for the most part, he hid his self-constructed word game in a bag.

Unfortunately, the band responsible for the funky calypso/ska/electropop you usually hear rolling along in the background, were really loud. Lily Allen tracks are all about her sweet voice and from-the-heart lyrics, and to have these drowing in sound is no one’s best laid plan.

Undeterred she played a very extensive set including the ones that made her name back in 2006 (Smile, LDN, Littlest Things) which like many summer anthems seem duller when returned to years later. However, her newer output including The Fear, currently on release, Fuck You, about racism, and  Not Fair have quite a lot of punch packed under the sweet little couplets. Sexual commentary may not be for everyone but the sentiments behind Not Fair are both entertaining and ring true in a bracing, warts ‘n’ all fashion.

Whilst Lily has the nous to take on mature subjects with a light touch you could not accuse her stage persona of being overly sophisticated. Quite apart from insisiting that her audience all stick out their midde fingers, ‘even you up there on the balcony, you’re not VIPs’, she also sparked up a cigarette indoors (shock horror) and got her guitarist to stub it out because she wasn’t wearing any shoes, which wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t issued  this request over the mic, which was a bit Queen – humiliating her slave in public – for my liking.

Lil does not put on much of a performance but instead plays on the extroverted wit that she is so well known for. Because her stage manner  and ‘persona’ is so very matey you feel invited to judge her on an intimate level.

My intimate judging revealed a charming and articulate female voice that enjoys fame, fortune and talent to the absolute max. Whilst I would never criticise anyone for having a good time, with great celebrity comes great responsibility and if Miss Allen were able to appreciate her perks, instead of merely riding them for all their worth, she would stand a chance of being a real star.

Lily played at:

Tabernacle Arts Centre
Powis Square
Notting Hill
W11 2AY