Photo: WENN.com
Lily Allen took to the stage of the Shepherd’s Bush Empire last night, a mere 48 hours after parodying Beyoncé’s ‘Drunk in Love’ at G A Y - and dealing with the fallout from what many saw as her 'mocking' the US superstar. After a three year hiatus from music in which she focused on being a mum, the outspoken Londoner has made a somewhat controversial return to the public arena, for essentially, being the same Lily Allen that we grew to know and love; sarcastic and brutally honest, in both her music and her interviews.
Allen opened her Shepherds Bush show with new single ‘Sheezus’, in which she compares her female peers - mocking the blatant sexism in the industry. Following this with comeback single ‘Hard Out Here’ and ‘Everyone’s At It’ from her second album, Lily popped off for a quick outfit change, whilst still talking to the crowd.
What followed was an energetic, giggly Allen, obviously happy to be back on stage, as she sang a mix of old favourites including ‘Smile’, ‘22’, ‘R U Mine’ and ‘LDN’ and songs of her third studio album, including ‘As Long As I Got You’ which she has written for her husband. Her new songs, much like her previous offerings, are witty and fun, often hiding behind a playful tune, and all the time engaging, witty and clever. Though on occasion, Lily appeared to miss her cue and forgot her words, the crowd were never less then impressed and were chanting her name throughout the show. Another outfit change and Lily returned with ‘Fuck You’, ‘Air Balloon’, and closed the show with ‘It’s Not Fair’ to round off her triumphant return.
Lily Allen isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but she’s funny and clever and does what she does for her fans as much as herself. There was no one in the audience who would have left less than overjoyed by her comeback performance.
