Lily Allen @ O2 Academy, 14 Mar

With her chart success currently spanning the Atlantic, it’s no surprise that the opening night of Lily Allen’s tour is a pretty hot ticket. The exposure certainly won’t harm tonight’s support, electro-maiden du jour La Roux (**). If you’re struggling to keep track, she’s at the Ladyhawke rather than Lady GaGa end of the Eighties-aping-starlets-of-2009-it’s-still-OK-to-like spectrum, but while enjoyable, her icy glitch-pop sound has been done before and better, and is about to be made obsolete by Fever Ray.

When Lily Allen (****) arrives heralded by a jackhammer strobe, the energy levels rocket. Observing the crowd reveals her broad appeal, the blue phosphorescence of raised phones revealing hip parents as well as dolled-up yoof, highlighting Allen’s deft balance of classy maturity and the savvy edginess for which she was first lauded. While some new songs may sound anonymous, it’s not long before she’s cheerfully narrating the adjusting of her pants and replacing heels with trainers. Her encore puts these two Lily’ side-by-side in the form of her biggest hits, Smile and The Fear, before a closing Womaniser finds something charming in Spears’ gratingly repetitive robotics. Far more than just a celebrity, Allen’s a star.