Lily Allen's Emotional Arena Show: A Scaled-Up Version of West End Girl

The Evolution of West End Girl

Lily Allen's arena jaunt is a scaled-up version of the show she took into theatres last year, touring her acclaimed album West End Girl, which at least partly dramatises the real-life breakdown of her four-year marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour.

The Emotional Performance

The 41-year-old comes on for the second act, an hour-long one-woman show performing West End Girl with theatrical staging. Looking resplendent – like a modern Ronette – in a dress finished off with a giant bow, she cheerily bounds into the album’s title track. Then she takes a phone call, which leaves her tearful.

The Songs of Heartbreak

The songs subsequently unflinchingly trace a relationship breakdown: his alleged desire for an open marriage (“we had an arrangement / it had to be with strangers”), her self-doubt, her ruminating about what is going wrong and her discovery of the texts that indicate there is someone else: “Who the fuck is Madeline?”

The Impact of Auto-Tune

Occasionally Auto-Tuned, Allen sings over backing tracks, but while the theatre version faced criticism over the lack of live musicians, the solitary nature of the performance perfectly plays into the isolation in the songs.

The Future of the Tour

Lily Allen’s West End Girl tour continues in the UK and Ireland until 8 August.