SHE could barely be heard over the din of her band when she played the Bowery Ballroom a couple of months ago, but Lily Allen more than made up for that disastrous performance with her Monday night show at Roseland.
Allen — girlish, playful, teasing — was a total charmer. She was chatty and reined in her band so you could easily discern vocals that rely on her wit as much her tone.
Her loud and clear attack wasn’t wasted on a tightly packed sold-out house. Allen-love was in the air, and fans sweated and swayed to the show, which focused on the Brit-pop star’s new CD, “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” along with the best from her debut, “Alright, Still,” filling out the hour-and-a-half set.
MORE: Rihanna, Going on Empowerment Tour?
Allen sounded good. After ditching a frumpy blouse for a revealing knit top, she looked good. And she was completely self-assured under the lights, projecting a carefree, relaxed, cheerful presence even when singing her darker material.
This was a turn-around gig.
She came on strong, yet it was her fourth number, a cover of the Kaiser Chiefs’ “Oh My God” welded to her own “Everything’s Just Wonderful,” where Allen, band and fans clicked.
We could have done without the show’s one bit of cheesecake: Allen picked two guys from the audience — one fat, the other skinny — to have a cheesecake-eating contest. The skinny guy gobbled his faster and won another slice as a prize.
After that culinary aside, it was all about the music. Allen was very good on her older material. She had huge crowd participation during her bouncy political tune “F – – k You,” with visual aids from both artist and audience during the chorus chant. Strangely, Allen got the biggest rise from her encore cover of Britney Spears’ “Womanizer.”
Having seen Allen (good and bad) over the past couple of years, it’s inspiring to see her grow into her reputation while other Brit pop singers who came on strong from the start — such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy — seem to have already flashed in the pan.