live music

Venue: Manchester Academy
Gig played: 15 March 2009

Being a pop star today is no easy feat. Fresh-faced teen innocence no longer has an impact on the adult world; instead, we want to see the reality behind closed doors. Lily Allen has always tackled this notion head on, and never professed to be perfect - a gambit which has paid hefty dividends. Tonight, with the recent launch of second album It's Not Me, It's You and claims to a fresh maturity, Ms Allen has a lot to live up to.

A party atmosphere is established from the outset, with a vibrant rendition of 'Everyone's At It' leading into an incredibly slick and engaging pop concert. The set is well balanced, journeying seamlessly through thumping party songs, triumphant singalongs and bittersweet ballads. Allen's voice has grown unmistakably stronger over the past couple of years, as has her confident yet coquettish stage presence.

A cover of Kaiser Chiefs' 'Oh My God' glitches into 'Everything's Just Wonderful', keeping the young audience hooked. Her banter is bold (perhaps aided by the wine consumed on stage) and Lily seems genuine in both her delivery and her affection for Manchester, even substituting the capital city call-out for Manchester during 'LDN'.

However the media may portray her, there is nothing dangerous or rebellious about Lily or her music. The most rock'n'roll moment comes when she accidentally smashes a glass on stage (at which point roadies immediately appear to clean up the mess). This is solid, inoffensive and hummable pop music designed to make us shuffle our feet and smi-i-i-le.

Carol Hodge