The new Lily

Allen's back and new style change divides fans

29 January 2009 - Lily Allen has made no secret of the fact that she wants to leave the sound of her first album behind, and she used her first major gig in two years to do just that.

Taking to the stage at London's Koko for a special one off show before she begins a full UK tour in March, Lily scarcely touched tracks from Alright Still – only playing LDN, Littlest Things and Smile.

The follow-up record, It's Not Me It's You, sees her swapping ska-tinged personal tales for mostly guitar-based pop creations.

Lyrically, as well as chatting with the crowd between songs, Lily was as confessional as ever – but she also took on themes such as politics and religion.

In terms of sound her new tracks didn't seem to excite the crowd quite as much as might have been expected – though Everyone's At It and The Fear stood out as the strongest by far.

Lily delighted in the latter being tipped for the number one spot in the singles charts this weekend, and its popularity was obvious from the sheer numbers singing along.

Among the crowd were the likes of actress Jamie Winstone and super-producer Mark Ronson, to whom Lily dedicated Littlest Things.

Never Gonna Happen, a swipe at an ex-boyfriend, also definitely got the attention of fans, who seemed as interested in Lily's banter as her singing.

The cheeky charm of Everyone's At It suggests the song will get even stronger with more live performances, too.

Fans generally agreed that Lily's vocal performances have improved from her first tour, although they were divided on the direction of the new album.

It was described as, "an attempt to be taken more seriously", by one - but as making her, "just another pop act", by another.

Indeed, on the downside some of the softer sounding pop tracks from the new album seemed to fall a little flat, while Not Fair, which Lily described as "silly country", raised more eyebrows than it did smiles.

The already controversial "F You" which was originally written about George W Bush, came across as little more than a novelty effort.

Among the crowd were the likes of actress Jaime Winstone and super-producer Mark Ronson, to whom Lily dedicated Littlest Things.

The set itself lasted just over an hour, culminating in an encore cover of Britney Spears' Womanizer, which many fans picked out as one of the highlights immediately after the show.

It's clear that in her strong moments, Lily Allen has the potential to be a very popular and accessible storyteller, but the more she dabbles in different pop styles, she may find it harder to keep her songs catchy – and her fans happy.

Rodrigo Davies