Politics
Lily Allen’s West End Girl Tour Sparks Debate Over Short Runtime
Lily Allen kicked off her latest tour in support of her hit album West End Girl over the weekend.
And, well, it wouldn’t be a Lily Allen venture without a bit of discourse, would it?
In the lead-up to her tour – titled Lily Allen Sings West End Girl – the chart-topping singer made it clear that she’d be singing her latest album straight through, in order.
What some fans perhaps didn’t realise, though, was that this would make up the entire show, meaning Lily’s performance clocks in at under an hour.
Admittedly, the show isn’t without its hits, with Lily’s opening act being a string orchestra dubbed the Dallas Minor Trio, who perform the likes of The Fear, Smile and Fuck You before the main event, with karaoke lyrics flashing up on screen, inviting fans to sing along.
But Lily’s on-stage runtime has led to a lot of debate online in the last few days…
What are the reviews for Lily Allen’s West End Girl shows like?
Well, those who loved the show really loved it.
The Independent gave it four stars, enthusing: “It is absolutely no surprise that Allen is currently in talks to modify West End Girl into a proper stage play.
“Her tour shows it’s almost there already, a blend of concert and play, in which Allen plays the starring role.”
Similarly effusive was The Times’ four-star take, which praised Lily for “defy[ing] expectations of a 40-year-old mother-of-two who until six months ago was a former pop star who had pivoted to podcasting”, and even ended by pondering: “Hey, who needs a regular gig?”
The Standard gave Lily three stars and wrote that her latest show shows her “doing things wholly her way”, while noting it was “less a gig than a piece of cathartic performance art”.
“With music delivered in playback, and only a fridge, two beds, some lamps and the contents of that infamous plastic bag on stage, Allen’s show is a compact and bijou offering,” said The Observer, whose reporter suggested that for Lily’s upcoming festival and arena tours, the show would “undoubtedly see the show increase in scale”.
However, some critics were left a little cold by Lily’s latest concert.
The Sun offered three stars and pointed to the fact that, on stage, she did “nothing more than sing the album as it was recorded”, while The Guardian’s two-star take suggested it was “dull to watch her go through the motions to a backing track”.
“It’s undeniable that the audience are into the second half,” the review said, before questioning “how much of that comes from existing goodwill – and, undoubtedly for some, the desire to perform catharsis to this material”.
The Telegraph, meanwhile, also gave the West End Girl show two stars, claiming it was a “set of two halves”, which is “not ideal when her segment lasted just shy of an hour”.
What are fans saying about Lily Allen’s West End Girl tour?
This is where things get a bit more interesting.
You see, among fans who have actually been to the show so far, reviews on X have been unanimously glowing.
However, when word spread about Lily’s performance lasting between just 45 minutes and an hour, many people were left a little puzzled by the whole thing.
This, in turn, led to a lot of debate on social media on both sides of the argument – with some backing Lily and pointing out the show does exactly what it says on the tin, and others questioning the price of a ticket for such a short set.
Where is Lily Allen performing on her West End Girl tour next?
The tour resumes on Thursday night in Birmingham, with shows scheduled at intimate venues around the UK for the rest of March, culminating in two nights at the iconic London Palladium.
She’ll then take the show overseas, before returning in June for a string of arena shows across the UK and Ireland.
At the end of May, she’ll also headline Mighty Hoopla in London, her only UK festival appearance this year.