Reflecting on Lily Allen’s No Shame Tour
By Lawson Wrigley
Powering through a lengthy setlist filled with nostalgic hits and No Shame standouts, Lily Allen delivers an entertaining performance with a brave facade, offering glimpses of her true colours through vulnerable moments.
“Lily, Lily, Lily f**cking Allen” – the crowd chanted loudly for the britpop queen to come on out and start the show.
Starting the show with the No Shame opener ‘Come on Then’, Lily Allen - dressed in a blue denim jumpsuit - set the standard and theme for the night. There were no f*cks to be given. She was loud, she was bubbly and she was bloody happy to have sold out shows in Australia.
She continued with more No Shame cuts as the crowd held themselves at a quiet buzz. That was until she sang ‘LDN’ bringing a glorious uproar through the Enmore Theatre. This is what the crowd really came for.
Her staging was simplistic but effective. Joining her was a drummer and keyboard/DJ, the lights and smoke created this captivating performance space for Lily to truly flourish.
As the night when on, she apologised for her performance; she explained she had a sore throat and even utilised a vocal spray to help during the show. But like the true professional she is, she pushed on through. What followed was an emotional rollercoaster of tracks from her latest LP and the singles that made her a star.
A standout was the ode to her children, ‘Three’. A rare moment in the show, Allen was able to truly capture all hearts in the room as the Enmore Theatre fell silent.
Finishing strong with ‘Not Fair’, the crowd demanded more and Lily was happy to please finishing with a very obviously planned encore of ‘Apples’, lead single of No Shame ‘Trigger Bang’ and fan-favourite ‘F**k You’. The latter she dedicated to the actor Liam Neeson, for his recent racist confession outlining his desire to kill a black man.
Although it was a memorable performance, Allen stumbled through chatter between songs, expressing often frustration about the commercial performance of her latest album and current tour. Her overall demeanor was filled with incomprehensible chatter, slurred speech and unbalanced stance. Many audience members questioned her sobriety as she stumbled on stage, something she had alluded to having troubles in her book ‘My Thoughts Exactly,’ on her previous ‘Sheezus’ Tour.
Lily expressed her frustration about her inability to receive radio play and it was clear the audience was here for the greatest hits and not No Shame. She’s pushed through incredible struggles but with dwindling album sales and streaming, you can’t help but wonder what she’ll do next and if there’s a future for Lily Allen in today’s market.