A few months ago, UK pop star Lily Allen returned with West End Girl, an extremely focused and specific breakup album that sure seems to be about her seemingly-past marriage to another famous person. The album generated a whole lot of buzz and conversation, and Allen will take it on tour in North America later this year. So how’s that going to work? The record is pretty much an auditory one-woman show, and you can’t sing those songs onstage like they’re regular pop hits. A couple of recent Allen appearances might offer some clues.
Last month, Lily Allen was a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, and she performed a couple of West End Girl tracks with props, stage sets, and special guest star Dakota Johnson nin the role of Madeleine. That was Allen’s first live performance in more than six years. On Wednesday night, Allen gave another performance, this time at the launch party for Chanel’s Coco Crush jewelry line. According to Setlist.fm, she sang five West End Girl songs there, and the performance was very different.
Judging by all available videos, Lily Allen’s Chanel party set was more of a cabaret affair. She sang with only a pianist backing her up, while the crowd was seated at tables. It happened at LA’s Chateau Marmont, and Allen told the crowd, “Luckily, [these songs] are not based on real-life experiences, and these things definitely did not happen at this hotel!”
Allen performed “Tennis,” “Just Enough,” and “Pussy Palace” live for the first time. During “Pussy Palace,” she broke into giggles when the audience started singing along. You couldn’t give this performance at a festival or anything, but Allen’s voice sounded great, and she had tons of presence. Watch a couple of videos below.
Allen’s set seemingly didn’t have any celebrity guest-stars, but there were plenty of famous types in the audience, including Chanel’s campaign star Gracie Abrams.
