Wednesday 04/10/06 Lily Allen, DJ Yoda @ Porchester Hall, London

“Is there anything you would like me to do?” Lily Allen asks her crew during tonight’s soundcheck. Given her predilection for withering putdowns, it’s an open invitation for a taste of her own medicine. But it’s not forthcoming. It’s Allen who’s in control.

Dressed in a rather fetching blue ball gown, and sporting an electric pink alice band, huge gold hoop earrings and her trademark black bang haircut, Allen twirls around the busy stage at Porchester Hall. A bundle of kinetic energy, tonight’s her first gig with a full band. The show is the first of 3 Mobile’s 3FrontRoom series, which invites competition winners to see the likes of Lily Allen at close quarters. She’s joined by rising hip hop star DJ Yoda, who’s providing visuals and mixing for tonight’s set.

With the soundcheck over, Allen sidles over towards Gigwise and sparks up a cigarette. Perusing tonight’s pre-gig menu, she kicks off her high heels like they were a form of medieval punishment and rubs her foot. If she had her way she’d do the gig in trainers. An hour later and Porchester Hall is ready. Master Yoda begins with an inspired Star Wars title sequence homage, designed to preface his new album, The Amazing Adventures of DJ Yoda.

It’s Yoda’s first ever album of original material, having made his name with the fantastic How To Cut & Paste Series. The third instalment of the series featured the likes of Rick Astley, Grandmaster Flash and Blondie. Gigwise gives up all hope of trying to piece together his set list, having a sneaking suspicion that Yoda isn’t sure of it either. Yoda’s visuals are as wildly unpredictable; 1950s infomercials sit next to clips of him brushing his teeth, alongside scenes from 8 Mile, and duelling banjo’s from Deliverance.

Enter Allen, who’s joined by kick horns, keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, drummer and Yoda. The set begins with the sprightly horns of ‘LDN’. One of the finest pop songs of the year, albeit a subversive one name checking pimps, crack whores, mugged grannies and the seedier side of London life.

‘Littlest Things’, with its ‘Karma Police’ intro, is a strange choice for her next single. All introspective break up blues, the audience wait for Allen’s killer putdown, but it never comes: “We’d spend the whole weekend lying in our own dirt, I was just so happy in your boxers and your t-shirt” she coos. Next is the 50 Cent parody ‘Nan, You’re A Window Shopper’, complete with Allen’s scampishly delivered rapping, and ‘Shame For You’, with its nagging cakewalking piano.

Allen is far more confident live than someone with just a handful of gigs to her name. It’s proved effortlessly on ‘Knock ‘Em Out’, complete with Victoria Wood-esque piano and multiple vocal parts, Allen’s mastered the art of making the characters in her songs believable. She’s said in past interviews that ‘Alright, Still’ is an album of 11 singles. It’s hard to imagine any of these tracks not making the top 20.

Next is the Arabian horns of ‘Friday Night’ and ‘Smile’, which sees Allen gracefully juggle a mic stand, lit cigarette and full cocktail glass and still managing warbling the song's ball busting message. In short, it’s what makes Allen so great. Fittingly, she ends the set with album closer ‘Alfie’, “This one’s for my little bro, too ****ing lazy to get his arse over here from Islington”, she explains. You can take the girl out of London etc, but seriously, with an attitude like this, who would want to?