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Review and setlist: Lily Allen asks ‘Who the f— is Madeline?’ at the Orpheum
Probably the only one who wouldn't like Saturday's Boston performance by "West End Girl" Lily Allen would be her ex, David Harbour.
Lily Allen at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston, April 11, 2026.
Lily Allen wasn’t just stopping in Boston on tour to promote her fifth studio album, “West End Girl”: She was bringing the album to life before our eyes, in all its messy, cathartic glory.
“West End Girl” was released in late October 2025, and examines Allen’s marriage with, and split from, actor David Harbour. This album explores the themes of deception, infidelity, and vulnerability.
That may sound like a downer, but Allen’s performance was anything but. Throughout the night, the British electropop singer/songwriter created an atmosphere that was therapeutic and open for the ecstatic audience lucky enough to be present for the first of her two shows at the Orpheum Theatre.
Act I:
Allen’s show consisted of two acts. In act one, Allen was not physically featured on stage, but was there spiritually through her music.
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For about 45 minutes, the Dallas Minor Trio, a group of three extremely talented women cellists, performed Allen’s biggest hits from earlier in her career. While the group was playing Allen’s songs, behind them were the lyrics projected on a screen that coincided with what they were playing. This gave the audience an opportunity to sing along by following the lead of the hot pink words across the screen.
Most of the crowd was participating, but there was noticeable chatter from a few folks who may have preferred to be seeing and hearing the artist herself. However, that didn’t last long once the trio started to play “Smile.” By the end of the first act, the audience had become vulnerable with one another through hearing the people around you sing along. This touches on what Allen does so beautifully throughout act two of “West End Girl”: being vulnerable.
Act II:
The second act exclusively showcases the “West End Girl” album. This act was filled with shock, drama, sadness, and power through her performance, as well as the set design and intimate setting.
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Leading up to Allen’s entrance, the lightbulbs bordering the stage and backdrop began to flicker and the sound of a heartbeat began to grow louder and faster. People were yelling and clapping with excitement when a hot fluorescent pink sign, reading “West End Girl,” suddenly started to illuminate and flash at the top of the stage.
Following soon after was the tune to the first track on the album, “West End Girl.” The spotlight shined on the teal velvet curtains hanging on stage, which quickly split right in the middle, where Ms. Allen appeared. She was in a lovely little nude matching set that made her pop in front of the dark curtains.
Allen ends her first song by picking up a phone call from her lover. She seems excited in the beginning of the conversation, but you can tell from her shaky voice that she’s soon let down by the other person on the line. This conversation sets up the rest of the show by highlighting that in the beginning she is willing to accept whatever it takes to make their relationship work.
After hanging up the phone, Allen begins her next song, “Ruminating,” which explores Allen over-analyzing and second guessing all her actions in her relationship. The stage lighting and visuals reflected this, having videos of Allen shaking her head and doing various facial expressions, while different color lights were bouncing back and forth around the border of the stage, representing chaos.
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In her third track, “Sleepwalking,” Allen’s stage now depicts her bedroom, where she contemplates and acknowledges that she’s simply going through the motions in her relationship. Multiple bedrooms are depicted throughout the rest of the show, and the state of the room represents where Allen is mentally. We can see towards the end of her show when she sings “Let You W/n,” the room she is in is destroyed. The lamp fixtures are ruined and only one bulb in a chandelier is working as Allen is on the floor, essentially at her rock bottom.
Despite this album’s heavy topics, Allen is able to balance it out by creating art which hits on these hard themes while keeping it light and even fun. One of the crowd’s favorites of the night was “Tennis,” the fourth track on the album. This is when Allen starts to suspect infidelity in her relationship and famously says “And who the f— is Madeline?” The audience loved to chime in on and emphasize this lyric.
On this song and throughout the night, Allen’s voice was clear and powerful, while still being able to confer the deep hurt that she was singing about. Allen did use autotune in certain areas of the show, like many current artists (Charli XCX and Travis Scott come to mind) — Allen’s uses of it are particularly effective on songs like “Sleepwalking,” where she carefully uses it to emphasize certain parts.
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Also falling under the crowd favorite category was “4chan Stan,” which shows Allen on stage physically wrapped up in one large receipt that had all the charges that were made for this other woman, “Madeline.” “Dallas Major” where Allen recognizes and accepts what has happened with her relationship, shows her flirting with the idea of putting herself out there again, but still having doubts. And the song that got people on their feet was “Nonmonogamummy.” During this track, people were able to let loose and follow Allen’s lead with a macarena-like dance she was doing on stage.
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Through Allen’s story, she is also able to be raw and serious on other tracks. “Relapse” shows the constant battles with addiction that people face daily. During this song, a glittery hand reaches out beneath Allen’s bed. This hand represents addiction and trying to lure her back in. She touches the hand but quickly lets go, maintaining her sobriety even through dark times. Even though she doesn’t relapse, she still shows the constant battle people face trying to remain sober.
Her seventh track, “Pussy Palace,” shows Allen’s defeat when she realizes everything she thought she knew was a lie. During this performance, Allen is revealing things that she was unaware were happening during her marriage.
Allen concluded her show with her final track on the album, “Fruityloop.” Despite the rollercoaster of feelings and emotions, Allen is able to pick herself up again, stand tall, and note that the infidelity in her relationship did not have to do with her, but the insecurities her partner had and how he chose to ultimately deal with them.
After this final song, Allen came out one last time, waving and sending kisses into the crowd as a form of thanking the audience. As she is saying her final goodbyes, someone hands her a bouquet of flowers, finally giving this West End Girl the recognition she truly deserves.
Setlist for Lily Allen at the Orpheum, Boston, April 11, 2026:
Act I (Dallas Minor Trio):
- The Fear
- LDN
- Come on Then
- Not Fair
- 22
- Alfie
- Who’d Have Known
- Hard Out Here
- Smile
- F— You
Act 2 (Lily Allen):
- West End Girl
- Ruminating
- Sleepwalking
- Tennis
- Madeline
- Relapse
- Pussy Palace
- 4chan Stan
- Nonmonogamummy
- Just Enough
- Dallas Major
- Beg for Me
- Let You W/In
- Fruityloop
Lily Allen returns to the Orpheum Sunday night.
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