Lily Allen has clapped back at critics claiming her West End Girl concert is too expensive and short.
The Smile singer, 41, drew backlash after performing the 50-minute show at London’s O2 stadium over the weekend, with fans being charged up to £86.
The West End Girl tour involves Allen singing her 14-track album in its entirety, detailing the devastating fallout of her marriage to David Harbour and his “three-year affair” with a younger woman.
At the weekend, one user wrote on X: “Lily Allen at the O2. No support act. Arrived on stage at 9:10pm. All wrapped up by 10pm. Not one word to the audience.”
Allen hit back on Monday, writing: “There is a support act. The show has always been advertised as ‘Lily Allen performs West End Girl.’
“I was a few mins late as my tights were laddered and I had to change them. The show is just over an hour as it’s just the album in its entirety.”
She went on: “It’s my artistic choice not to talk to the audience, the fourth wall helps with the storytelling. Most people find it to be effective.
“I don’t want anyone to feel ripped off, everyone on this tour is really working very hard to give people the best show we possibly can, and I'm extremely proud of it.”
Tickets for the tour ranged from £38 to £86. Some fans claimed they were too expensive for a 50-minute show while others wanted more interaction with the audience.
“Went to see her in Newcastle and was more shocked at the fact she didn't say thank you for coming and just came back out without her mic and got handed a bunch of flowers,”one said.
However, others pointed out that the West End Girl tour had been curated as a theatrical experience rather than a round-up of her greatest hits.
She performed on different sets, using various props and costumes to embody the spirit of each song, even breaking down in tears during the track Relapse while singing about “losing it all”.
There is a support act.
— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) June 29, 2026
The show has always been advertised as “Lily Allen performs West End Girl.”
I was a few mins late as my tights were laddered and i had to change them.
The show is just over an hour as it’s just the album in its entirety.
It’s my artistic choice not… https://t.co/6qmrixFHXT
The musician reclined elegantly on a chaise longue, lay in despair on her bed and opened a fridge to take out her vape and smoke it at various points in the show.
Allen told Vogue it was “unlike anything I've done before”.
“On previous tours, the shows have been about my personality and my interaction with the audience. This show can feel more like theater at times,” she said.
“There's a lot of attention to detail and storytelling through props, costume, and lighting. There is an intensity that I'm really proud of and enjoying.”
The majority of fans praised the highly-theatrical show.
“It's much more of a live reenactment of a concept album than it is a conventional concert,” she said.
“She's providing you [with] almost a theatre experience rather than glow sticks and jumping.”
Allen released her jaw-dropping revenge album in October 2025, drawing major critical acclaim.
Several songs, including Madeline and Tennis, were written about Harbour’s alleged three-year affair which led to the couple splitting in January after four years of marriage.
Costume designer Natalie Tippett has since identified herself as the woman in question, having worked with the Stranger Things actor on the set of the Netflix film We Have A Ghost in 2021.
In the song Madeline, Allen suggested she and Harbour had an open marriage that was intended to be “discreet” and not based on emotional connection.
She sings: “How long has it been going on? Is it just sex or is there emotion?/ He told me it would stay in hotel rooms, never be out in the open.”
“Why would I trust anything that comes out of his mouth? / I’m not convinced that he didn’t f**k you in our house.”
The chorus goes on: “We had an arrangement/ Be discrete and don’t be blatant. There had to be payment/
“It had to be with strangers/ But you’re not a stranger, Madeline.”
The song also features spoken interludes from “Madeline” to Allen where she tells the singer over text: “Our relationship has only ever been about sex/ I can promise you that this is not an emotional connection.
“We don't speak outside of the time we spend together/ And whenever he talks about you, it's with the upmost respect.”
Harbour broke his silence on the album earlier this month, saying he “respected” his former partner but it was “not his experience”.
Allen will next perform in Ireland on June 30 and July 1, before taking the tour to a slew of European festivals.
She will kick off the North America leg of the tour in September, before performing in Australia, New Zealand and South America.
