Lily Allen, O2 Academy Brixton

Returning pop queen Lily Allen is to play at The O2 Academy Brixton on December 12th in support of her comeback Sheezus

Lily Allen first came to our attention in 2006 with Alright, Still : a collection of ephemeral but genuinely entertaining electro-pop songs. It was an album very much of its time; Allen’s Cockney (or should that be Mockney?) vocals and Myspace-filtered persona couldn't have be more redolent of the mid-Noughties if she’d tried, which perhaps she did.

You might well have expected that Allen would be a flash in the pan, doomed to be a footnote in pop cultural history. However, over the past decade, she’s proved to have surprising staying power and remains relevant in 2014.

Allen followed up Alright, Still with 2009’s It’s Not Me, It’s You which further developed her signature sound: acerbic lyrics served with a smile. Shortly after the album’s release, however, she announced her retirement. 

Fortunately for us, Allen didn't stick to her word, returning in strident fashion this year with Sheezus , whose title made tongue-in-cheek reference to Kanye’s Yeezus and whose songs channelled some of the rapper’s famous narcissism. Over glossy production, Allen proclaims “Give yourselves to me, I am your leader.”

Earlier this year, Culture Whisper previewed her one-off comeback show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire which proved as entertaining as predicted. Now, Allen is embarking on a global tour, finishing in her native London at the O2 Academy Brixton on December 12th.  Don’t miss this chance to see her reclaim her crown.