Lily Allen at Manchester Academy 15th March

With a successful second album in the wings, Lily Allen announces a UK tour.

Two and a half years ago, Lily Allen was just a jobbing singer with a record deal that was going nowhere and a lot of time on her hands. So she decided to upload some of her songs to her MySpace page…

Within a matter of months the songs she uploaded had attracted not only thousands of plays but also the attention of the national media, who touted her as ‘the female Mike Skinner’. Combining ska and reggae influences with a “mockney” delivery of her sharply satirical lyrics, it was no surprise when her first album Alright, Still topped the charts and went on to sell over 2.5million copies. Other acts quickly followed suit with Kate Nash, Jack Penate, and even Arctic Monkeys benefiting from the public craze for prosaic stories sung in regional accents. Allen went on to be nominated for awards at The Grammys, The Brit Awards and The MTV Video Music Awards, launched a clothing line with New Look and was even given her own chat show on BB3, Lily Allen and Friends.

She is now releasing her second album, It’s Not Me, It’s You. Critics speak of a departure in style, with a more polished and grown up sound. The Observer Music Magazine goes as far as to say the album “is a wonderful record, and, better than that, a pop album brave enough to have a go at defining the times.” With success assured, her forthcoming UK tour will be as much a lap of honour as a chance to hear her new material live – crash the party if you can.