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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Lily Allen at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney


LILY ALLENMIAMI HORROR
The Hodern Pavilion, 21/01/10

Melbourne DJ/producer Benjamin Plant, otherwise known as Miami Horror, performed live as part of a four piece band which offered dance-fuelled indie disco. While it was sleek enough and boasted occasional uplifting moments, for the most part it was a pretty uninspiring set.

When Lily Allen first played in Sydney, she had the aesthetic of a typical English backpacker, bounding around in white trainers, so it is an indication of how much of a star she has since become that she slinked onstage looking every part the diva in massive heels and proceeded to make two costume changes during the show. Indeed, her huge marketability can also be indicated by the fact she told the crowd she was celebrating her album "going quadruple platinum". Drinking "disgusting" wine through a straw, the Brit got the ball rolling with Everyone's At It and LDN, while also throwing in a few covers, including The Kooks' Naive, Britney's Womanizer and a version of Just Be Good To Me featuring UK rapper Professor Green.


Her songs were delivered in the kind of bubblegum pop style that has ensured her records have sold by the truckload, yet it is her lyrical content that separates her from her mainstream contemporaries. Her stories contained plenty of acerbic wit and adult themes which offered a nice juxtaposition to the radio-friendly tunes they were wrapped in. The pleasing honesty to her subject matter was constant, whether she was talking about a lover's ineptitude in bed (Not Fair) or going on anti-war rants (the brilliantly-titled Kabul Shit). Okay, sometimes her wordplay may lack subtlety, but there is nothing wrong with using pop songs to smack people around the face with a bit of morality, and anyone who writes an anti-Bush song called Fuck You deserves plenty of credit. The Fear, though, was the standout track of the night. Not only is it Allen's best song, but one of the finest pop offerings of the last few years with its knowing swipe at celebrity culture.

She may be platinum-plated nowadays, but, delightfully, this rapturously received show proved she is still the same old Lily. Charismatic, bursting with energy and telling everyday truths in her songs; when it comes to pop stars, Lily Allen is as real as they get.

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