Access Atlanta > Arts > Our Reviews > Archives > 2007 > March > 20 > Entry
Lily Allen brings the girl power
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Girl power was in full effect at Center Stage on Monday night. Britain’s hottest current export, Lily Allen, brought the real stuff, not the faux attitude of countrywomen the Spice Girls. And the female-heavy audience soaked it up with relish.
“I think you should get up and come down front,” she quipped to the folks seated in the upper tiers early in the hour-long set. “Sitting down is a bit rubbish.” Allen seemed ready to show us a good time.
In her home country, Allen’s had a No. 1 single. She’s also become a staple of the tabloids, largely due to a fondness for mouthing off about her fellow pop stars. Her father’s a well-known comedian (Keith Allen) and her mother is a film producer (Alison Owen). But here, she’s just another sparkling pop export that many take with the same large grain of salt with which we take many of Britain’s next big things.
At Center Stage, she proved that the hype was justified. Her blend of reggae, ska, hip-hop and pop packed even more punch on stage than it does on her debut album, “Alright, Still.” Her sturdy six-piece band was solid but unobtrusive, and Allen was clearly a star. A pony-tailed pixie with a mouth like a sailor and an easy rapport with her audience, she warned the crowd, “When I do a show, I like to drink a bit.” She apologized in advance that she might belch while singing, but her voice was strong and clear.
While most of her songs are takedowns of those who have wronged her, there’s always a good-natured, party-through-the-pain undercurrent to them. She drew the crowd in to the world’s conspiracy against her, and they seemed happy to come along — and sing along.
With only one album to pull a set from, she filled it out with stripped down covers of tunes by fellow Brits Keane and the Kooks, along with a take on Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” The highlights, though, were all hers. Her British No. 1 “Smile” inspired the loudest sing-alongs of the night, but the stomping, Professor Longhair-sampling “Knock ‘Em Out” was even more fun.
If she can keep delivering tunes that appealing and performances as charming as the one at Center Stage on Monday night, she’ll be alright for a good long while.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Pop Music
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By MC Mister E
March 21, 2007 8:10 AM | Link to this
“THE BIRD AND THE BEE WERE SUPERB” How could you review that show and not make mention of what “PRETTY” music they made, it sounded nice and happy and bright and it was just lovely, as opposed to what Lily Allen sounded like…all I can say is oh dang gross, that is some awful icky stuff you are trying to put in my ears girl, and then some…blah blah blah heavy English accent rapping over ska horns, fresh off an appearance on SNL, this trendy pop 4 today shark has so been jumped over…ick ick ick. Cindy Lauper called, she just wants to have fun, and that is why she was not there!