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Lily Allen will perform West End Girl in full around UK theatres

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Lily Allen is taking West End Girl to the theatre, as she announces her first tour in seven years in support of her fifth studio album.

The British pop star has made a triumphant music comeback with her latest record, which is inspired by the breakdown of her marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour.

A press release for the March 2026 tour said she had chosen theatre venues specifically to showcase the new songs, which she will perform in the order they appear on the record.

Kicking off at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, she will then perform in Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester, Nottingham, Cambridge, Bristol and Cardiff, before concluding with two nights at the London Palladium.

Tickets go on sale on Friday 7 November at 10am and will be available from Gigs and Tours, and Ticketmaster.

Allen last toured with her fourth album, No Shame, between 2018 to 2019. She also made surprise appearances at Glastonbury Festival in 2022, with US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo, and this year with Shy FX.

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‘West End Girl’ is inspired by the breakdown of Allen’s marriage to ‘Stranger Things’ actor David Harbour (Press)

West End Girl, which was released last week, has received near-unanimous praise, with many critics singling out the vulnerability in Allen’s lyrics.

In a five-star review for The Independent, Hannah Ewens praised Allen for the album’s “intense story-driven format [that] lets her sound sharper, smarter and more clear-eyed than before”.

“After two albums that defined mid-2000s British pop, Allen lost her grip on the pop star version of herself that once felt effortless,” she continued. “Sheezus and No Shame had the same attitude but lacked focus.

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“The pain of this real-life breakup has given her something solid to attack with all her might, and West End Girl feels like the clarity she’s been writing toward for years. In 2025, Allen sounds newly alive in the contradictions we loved her for: acid-tongued and soft-hearted, ironic and sincere, broken again but alright, still.”

The full 2026 tour dates are as follows:

2 March: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

3 March: Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

5 March: Birmingham Symphony Hall

7 March: Sheffield City Hall

8 March: Newcastle City Hall

10 March: Manchester Aviva Studios, The Hall

11 March: Manchester Aviva Studios, The Hall

14 March: Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

15 March: Cambridge Corn Exchange

17 March: Bristol Beacon

18 March: Cardiff New Theatre

20 March: London Palladium

21 March: London Palladium

In a recent conversation with Interview Magazine, Allen said it took her life “falling apart” for her to find her “authentic voice” as an artist.

“I feel very differently about the whole situation now. We all go through breakups and it’s always f***ing brutal. But I don’t think it’s that often that you feel inclined to write about it while you’re in it.”

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Allen in artwork for her new album (Charlie Denis/BMG Music)

Allen was reported to have split from Harbour around the end of December last year. The former couple were married in 2020 and lived together in a New York townhouse that was recently put back on the market.

“At the time, I was really trying to process things and that’s great in terms of the album, but I don’t feel confused or angry now. I don’t need revenge,” Allen said.

She added: “Some of it [the record] is based on truth and some of it is fantasy…

“It’s not a cruel album. I don’t feel like I’m being mean. It was just the feelings I was processing at the time.”

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