MUSIC REVIEW: Lily Allen at the Echo Arena, Liverpool

Dec 10 2009 by Neil Macdonald, Liverpool Daily Post

EVERYBODY loves Lily, and there was certainly a lot to love in last night's show at the Echo Arena, Liverpool.

In the space of just over 90 minutes we had sexy Lily, chanteuse Lily, funny Lily, fragile Lily, foul-mouthed Lily, sneaking a sly cigarette on stage Lily – in short, something for everyone, but liable to switch from one to the other at any moment.

She first appeared looking like a sexed-up droog from a Clockwork Orange, complete with bowler hat and short, short dress, but she couldn't keep it up and before long that St Trinian's giggle returned as she announced her tights and bra were in danger of falling down.

It made for a compelling night's entertainment with Lily catching the eye and holding it as she ran through her full range of hits from Smile to It's Not Fair, which was part of a raucous encore. That included a version of Britney Spears's Womaniser that couldn't have been saucier if it had been performed by Mrs Saucy McSaucepot who has just spent her redundancy cheque in the Sauciness shop, just after they'd put their winter range on the shelves.

In between, she visited some of her lesser-known tracks to show off a voice that is as pure live as it is on a download. There were a few more covers, too, including a surprise version of Dub B Good To Me – a treat for kids of the 80s and 90s like me.

In fact, so good was Lily that it was a shame she wasn't backed up with more support on stage. Her band – while excellent – were only a four-piece, meaning she looked lost at times on an expansive set.

The less said about the support act, Example, the better, too. I don't know what he was an example of, but if he was going for an annoying Mockney white boy rapper, then he got that spot- on. But that's a quibble when Ms Allen was so good.

And why do I love Lily? I used to just like her, but last night's gig was my son's first concert and he was blown away by the whole experience. Izaak and I will always love you for that, Lily.

NEIL MacDONALD