Lily Allen

Academy, Dublin Mon 9pm €33 (sold out) 01-8779999 We make no apologies for liking gob-for-hire Lily Allen

Academy, Dublin Mon 9pm €33 (sold out) 01-8779999We make no apologies for liking gob-for-hire Lily Allen. We reckon her recently released It's not Me, it's Youis one of the year's best pop records.

It seems a long time since her MySpace page was pored over by a burgeoning army of fans; these days, Allen is a paparazzi-loathing pop star with a difference. She frequently lodges her two feet firmly in her mouth, and yes, she can espouse one thing (“I’ve given up drinking”) and do precisely the opposite (“I meant in public!”), but she also writes amusing, spot-on, observational British pop that owes a debt to the likes of Ian Dury, Squeeze and Madness.

The People’s Champ, according to friend and producer Mark Ronson. The Most Singular British Pop Star Since Jarvis Cocker, according to The Ticket.

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Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in popular culture