West End Girl Tour: Lily Allen reveals why she left drugs and alcohol behind ahead of Australia tour
Lily Allen has opened up about a major personal change as she prepares for her upcoming Australian tour.
British pop star Lily Allen says she is approaching touring in an entirely new way, as she prepares to head Down Under for her tour of Australia.
Speaking on Sunrise on Friday morning, Allen reflected on how sobriety has changed the way she prepares for life on the road, revealing that she used to rely on substances and alcohol to get through tours.
Allen is preparing to return to Australia later this year for her biggest tour across the country in years, with shows scheduled in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth in October and early November.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The tour follows the global success of her album West End Girl, which has racked up more than 275 million streams and chronicles the collapse of her marriage to actor David Harbour.
Allen, who has been sober for nearly seven years, said the upcoming tour will be the first where she performs without relying on substances to get through the demands of touring.
“I am going into these shows in a way that I never have done before.
“I have been sober for nearly seven years now, and I have always relied quite heavily on substances and alcohol in order to get me through previous tours”.
The singer continued by explaining, “I don’t have those crutches anymore, so it’s really great to have and to approach it from such a different way creatively.”
The singer said the shows will feel more intimate and theatrical than her previous tours, reflecting how both her music and her creative outlook have evolved.
After first rising to global fame in the mid-2000s with hits like Smile and The Fear, Allen quickly became one of Britain’s most recognisable pop voices, known as much for her candid interviews and tabloid headlines as for her chart success.
Touring during that era often came with the excesses associated with the music industry.
Now, Allen says sobriety has given her a fresh perspective on performing.
From pop star to theatre performer
In recent years, Allen has expanded beyond music into theatre, building a reputation on London’s West End stage.
In 2021, she made her debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story, earning strong reviews and later winning Best Actress at the Whatsonstage Awards.
She later returned to the stage in The Pillowman before taking on a role in the musical West End Girls, further cementing her shift from pop provocateur to multi-disciplinary performer.
The move into theatre has also brought a more structured routine to her life — a stark contrast to the chaotic touring lifestyle that defined the early years of her career.
A turbulent personal chapter
Allen’s latest music has also been shaped by upheaval in her personal life following her split from the Stranger Things actor.
The pair married in Las Vegas in 2020, but their relationship later ended after a highly publicised breakup.
That experience became the emotional backbone of West End Girl, which explores heartbreak, identity and starting again after divorce.
Now, as she prepares to return to the stage in Australia, Allen says she is entering a new phase, both personally and creatively.
Australia tour dates:
- Brisbane — Friday 23 October — Brisbane Entertainment Centre
- Sydney — Sunday 25 October & Monday 26 October — TikTok Entertainment Centre
- Melbourne — Wednesday 28 October & Thursday 29 October — Rod Laver Arena
- Perth — Sunday 1 November — RAC Arena
