Lily Allen Review – West End Girl’s Marriage Break Up Raised in Theater | Lily Allen

LIly Allen’s arena jaunt is a version of the show she took to the theaters last year, touring her hit song West End Girl, which marks the end of her four-year marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour. Once again, the show opens with strings including the Dallas Minor Trio playing their old instruments, delighting the crowd and providing a rare opportunity to sing along to the likes of The Fear or Fuck You (“a lot”) with several thousand people.

The 41-year-old returned for the second show, a one-hour show about a woman performing West End Girl and the actress. Looking resplendent – like a modern Ronette – in a dress finished with a big bow, she happily breaks into the album’s title track. He then picks up the phone, which leaves him crying.

The songs follow the dynamics of the relationship: his desire to have an open family (“we had arrangements / had to have guests”), his self-doubt, his reflection on the situation and his discovery of notes that suggest there is another: “Who is Madeline?”

At times, Auto-Tuned, Allen sings backing vocals, but when the theater group was criticized for the lack of live singers, the solo nature of the play is better played by the isolation of the music. The clubby sub bass gives off a lonely-on-the-dancefloor vibe, but mostly it works because it’s a great song and Allen lives in it as if he’s being chased by gratitude and catharsis. There’s humor and great acting – they get the best visuals on Pussy Palace – but it pulls off any of the funniest ideas or acting skills while Relapse does it wonderfully.

As the latter part of the album switches gears to 60s balladry and big pop numbers, the audience cheers him on as he turns the tables. Balloons fall and they enjoy lines like Fruityloop’s “It’s not me, it’s you!” It’s a weird comedy show, but as a story about the power of relationships and maybe even the vanity of celebrities, it’s pretty serious.