Lily Allen responds to criticism after fans at O2 arena said gig was ‘too short’

The pop star defended her West End Girl tour format

Lily Allen has fired back at fans who have been critical of her current tour. The singer has faced a backlash over her ongoing West End Girl tour, but she has defiantly responded, insisting she is “extremely proud of it.”

Concertgoers have taken to social media to share their views on the performances, with reactions proving to be mixed, reports the Mirror. The 41-year-old singer-songwriter is currently touring Europe in support of her latest album, West End Girl, which was released in October 2025.

Following her London gig on Saturday, one audience member shared their thoughts on the O2 Arena show, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter: “No support act, arrived on stage at 9:10pm, all wrapped up by 10 p.m. Not one word to the audience, £86 to sit in the gods.”

However, Lily was not prepared to let the criticism go unanswered. She responded: “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 continued: “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.”

Lily’s current tour sees her take to the stage alongside cello ensemble Dallas Minor Trio. The group serves as her support act, opening each show with instrumental renditions of her earlier hits, while the lyrics are projected above the performance, inviting fans to sing along.

Although the fan attempted to take back their remarks, claiming they hadn’t intended to come across quite so harshly, they did maintain that Lily failing to thank the audience at the end was “a bit weird”.

On this point, Lily was willing to agree. She responded: “I’d happily concede that I’m a bit weird, though.”

Her remarks were met with a divided reaction. One person said: “It can’t be right to charge that much for an hour, late on Sunday night.”

Another added: “I’d also concede that not saying “thank you” at the end of a gig is a d**k move. People in all professions thank customers for providing custom to pay their wages, so why wouldn’t artists appreciate their fans for coming?”

However, a third leapt to the star’s defence, writing: “She bowed and waved at the audience and was clearly extremely grateful for us fans who were there. I’ve been to see her three times this year and you can see how grateful and appreciative she is for her fans. It’s not really a gig it’s more like a theatre show.”

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