Lily Allen Shouts Out Britney Spears, Drops F-Bombs Galore at "Secret" New York Gig

Last night, Lily Allen hit New York's Bowery Ballroom to perform a concert as part of MySpace's "Secret Show" series. While the gig was partly sponsored by Turbo Tax (yes, really) the British singer didn't let up on the rock & roll behavior: she dropped F-bombs, sang about blow jobs and gulped wine onstage.

Allen's second album, It's Not Me, It's You, only dropped yesterday, but the wall-to-wall crowd recited all the words. "You've been illegally downloading, you fuckers!" she said, before launching into the bouncy, George W. Bush-slamming rant "Fuck You." (The chorus would make your mom proud: "Fuck you, fuck you very, very much.") Dancing around the stage in a red mini-dress and Michael Jackson-style half gloves, Allen dug into her new record, which swaps the ska-flavored tunes of her 2007 debut for glossier pop. Highlights included the country-flavored "Not Fair," on which Allen laments, "I spent ages giving head"; "Never Gonna Happen," an accordian-filled kiss-off to a dense boy-toy; and "Back to the Start," an electro ode to Allen's sister on which she apologizes for her sibling rivalry.

Allen also busted out a couple oldies: "Smile," which turned into a crowd sing-along, and the ruminative, Mark Ronson-produced "Littlest Things." "Mark was supposed to fucking be here tonight," Allen said. "But he's recording with some band in Brooklyn. He's too busy for me these days."

Allen name-dropped again during the encore, when she paid homage to her "favorite singer" Britney Spears with "Womanizer." It was a sweet reminder — one that the Turbo Tax execs appreciate, no doubt — that crotch flashers stick together.

Set List:
"Everyone's At It"
"LDN"
"I Could Say"
"Not Fair"
"Fuck You"
"Who'd Have Known"
"22"
"Him"
"Never Gonna Happen"
"Back to the Start"
"Littlest Things"
"Smile"
"The Fear"
"Womanizer"

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Song Stories

“Weird”

Hanson | 1997

Accomplished tunesmith Desmond Child co-wrote "Weird" with the three brothers that make up Hanson. Credited for dozens of cuts, including songs by Kiss, Cher, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, Child told Rolling Stone that "Weird" holds a special place in his heart, "because it's about being different--and I grew up poor, I grew up being Latin, I grew up being gay, and now I'm fat!" The song was included on Hanson's 1997 album Middle of Nowhere, which sold more than ten million units.

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