States of the Disorderly...

Hey all... I had a great night on Tuesday, watching Lily Allen down in our port city, Fremantle. I wrote this review, which was published in The West yesterday... p.s The Cure is tomorrow night! Good times!

Lily Allen is the tough talking, celebrity hating, MySpace blogging glamour girl of the year.
Her raw sardonic lyricism and stark social commentary on post-teen London life continues to dazzle music lovers worldwide and has earned the 22-year-old a deservedly controversial place in the galaxy of tabloid fame.
Amidst this recent flutter of paparazzi and gossip columns, Allen’s music is often and regrettably overlooked in favour of the voyeuristic attention given to her notoriously brash and humorous net blog.
At the end of the day, however, Allen’s lucid musical talent is the fundamental ingredient to her success and her brilliantly progressive 2006 debut, Alright, Still, is the reason she’s been selling out venues all over the country.
Metropolis was no exception. Packed to the rafters and abuzz from the word go, fans and inquisitive sceptics alike were happily crammed to catch a glimpse of the haughty starlet.
Allen was over the road enjoying one of Gino’s favourite pastas when Melbourne’s Macromantics kicked off the night, gracing punters with her brassy Aussie hip-hop, which was generally well received, given nobody seemed to know who she was.
All eyes and hearts, however, lit up when the distinctive opening riff to LDN permeated through the speakers, and everybody’s favourite ‘mockney’ emerged through a barrage of synths, drum-machines and a neon clad three-piece horn section.
Straight away the night was destined to be a sing-a-long affair, with Allen leading the charge and displaying far more finesse than recent scathing US reviews would suggest. It was also going to be the kind of up-front and personalised affair only Allen could provide.
Straight up, the crowd was drawn into the frank world of Lily the pop princess: “I’ve just arrived from Japan and I’m f**king knackered,” she screamed.
“Somebody get me a Jägermeister! … This next song is for all the models and actresses who try to prove how thin they are by dieting, but who are really just on heroin!”

Everything’s Just Wonderful suitably followed, ironic given that a fight had already developed between two boozed up geezers in front of the sound desk.
After Nan You’re A Window Shopper and Shame For You, Littlest Things emerged with a beautifully demure and minimalist live treatment that allowed Allen’s vocals to glow and gave hyped-up fans an early breather.
“This next song is about guys with small dicks,” laughed Allen as she introduced Not Big, which really got girls dancing and a handful of boys looking somewhat bashful.
The horn section retired for a few songs, and accompanied solely by her proficient bassist and keyboardist, Allen launched into Everybody’s Changing by Keane, and Naïve by The Kooks. Both covers were given a light absorbing two-step interpretation, which unlike typical live re-works added a fresh dimension to each track.
Upon the band’s return, the album favourites were rolled out and an increasingly drunk Allen ordered an increasingly drunk crowd to pretend the weekend had landed before launching into Friday Night. Knock ‘Em Out followed and had female fans screaming in unison for revolution, and Smile ended the set as the clear pinnacle of the evening.

www.myspace.com/lilyallen