Lily Allen says hour-long West End Girl shows match advertised album format after some ticket holders complain

Lily Allen defended the format of her current tour after some ticket buyers complained that the shows were too short and lacked direct interaction with the audience. The singer is performing the full West End Girl album on the UK leg of a world tour that began in March at smaller venues and later expanded to larger arenas including London's O2, where she appeared on Saturday and Sunday.

Journalist Rupert Hawksley posted on X that Allen arrived on stage at 9:10 pm and finished by 10 pm without speaking to the crowd, adding that his seat in the gods cost £86.

He later wrote that he enjoyed the performance but questioned the price for an hour-long show late on a Sunday night. Allen replied directly on the platform that the tour had always been advertised as Lily Allen performs West End Girl and that the runtime matched the length of the album.

She said she arrived a few minutes late because she had to change laddered tights and described the decision not to address the audience as an artistic choice that supports the storytelling through the fourth wall.

A string trio called Dallas Minor opens each show by playing orchestral versions of 10 earlier Allen songs including The Fear, Smile, LDN, Hard Out Here and Not Fair, with lyrics projected on a screen. Allen arrives afterward to begin the main album performance. The tour was originally announced for intimate theatre dates but added arena shows after strong ticket sales.

It is scheduled to visit the US, Australia and New Zealand. The album West End Girl draws on Allen's divorce from actor David Harbour.