In OurSpace At Last: Lily Allen's Twisted Pop

How strange that Lily Allen is just now washing ashore in the United States. The sassy British pop singer became an Internet sensation a year ago after posting some of her songs on MySpace. And critics became infatuated with Allen last summer, following the U.K. release of her irresistible debut album, "Alright, Still," in July. Did the keepers of her career think we wouldn't notice?

Still, it wasn't until last month that Allen's album was officially released stateside. And Friday night, the 21-year-old finally made her Washington debut with a perfectly likable performance at the sold-out 9:30 club.

Allen is sort of the English answer to Gwen Stefani, which somehow makes her an indie-hipster fave. (Must be the British part.) Her playful but caustic songs feature observational, teen-diary lyrics, and her music is a grab-bag blend of ska, hip-hop, dub reggae, R&B, electronica, bossa nova and even polka. It sounds much better than it reads: Allen's smart, cheeky singles, "LDN" and "Smile," were two of the brightest spots in 2006 pop music.

As delightful as she may be in recorded form, Allen isn't the most gifted of live performers. In fact, she appeared almost catatonic during a recent stint on "Saturday Night Live," turning in a spiritless set that inspired thoughts of a new T-shirt slogan: "You sound better on MySpace."

Allen was hardly an electrifying presence at the 9:30, either, but she mounted just enough of a charm offensive to connect with the audience of early adopters and newcomers.

She swore some, giggled plenty, declared herself to be drunk and complained that she was pooped, having just flown back from the Brit Awards. It's tiring being denied all those trophies, apparently: Allen was nominated for four awards at the music-biz bash -- including best British album and British breakthrough act -- but she left empty-handed. "It's nice to be appreciated in your own country," she said sarcastically. She hurled an expletive at her homeland. The crowd cheered. "I'm back in the U.S. and everything's good. At least someone likes me."

Allen then launched into "Shame for You," a song about a guy who says he likes her even though he's cheating on her.

Boys are a frequent subject in Allen's lyrics. She sings (and raps) about lame lovers, lame wannabe lovers, lame ex-lovers and lazy little brothers. Her voice is pleasant and sweet, her music generally cheery and buoyant. But there's a certain sardonicism to her tunes.

"At first when I see you cry / It makes me smile," she sang. "Yeah, it makes me smile."

Even London didn't get off easy, as "LDN's" frothy ska-pop sound belied Allen's observations about the underbelly of her home town. "When you look with your eyes / Everything seems nice," she sang. "But if you look twice, you can see it's all lies."

There was no spotlight following her moves, which was just as well: Wearing a sleeveless black A-line dress with white high tops, Allen spent most of the 16-song set marching back and forth across the stage, only occasionally stopping at some sort of drum machine to trigger various sound effects.

Backed by a taut seven-piece band -- all guys, each wearing an untucked Lacoste polo shirt -- Allen worked through "Alright, Still" in its entirety and added a few covers to push the brassy performance just past the hour mark. "I have a very short album," she explained, "so I have to fill out the set with other songs."

For a two-song, mid-set medley, she chose recent hits by Keane ("Everybody's Changing") and the Kooks ("Naive"), turning both rock songs into breezy, island-style numbers complete with . . . maracas. The songs sounded loungy and toothless, like something you might hear on a Royal Caribbean cruise through the Bahamas. Better was an encore cover of "Blank Expression," a 1979 song by the celebrated ska band the Specials. It played to Allen's musical strengths, though they were also a weakness: There was a sameness to the set, with many of the songs riding similar ska and dub-reggae grooves.

Still, Allen is a compelling young talent who's clearly worth watching. Especially now that she's finally, officially arrived here. "Alright, Still" is in Billboard's domestic Top 20, and Allen has been granted MTV's seal of approval: Her U.S. tour is being presented by the network's "Discover and Download" program. Can a Grammy nomination for best new artist be far behind -- two years after the fact?