A sneer and a smile from lilting Lily

"All right London? I'm a bit pissed already - oops," said the bouncing pop pixie near the start of her homecoming show, the last before she embarks on her first major American tour. "I was a bit nervous, so I got a little bit enthusiastic with the Jagermeister."

Gallery: See more pictures from the gig here

At least she showed up, unlike Winehouse, who was photographed in the drink section of a supermarket on the day she cancelled two London gigs last week.

Also, irresponsible though it is to say, she was a joy to watch, hopping around the stage in chunky white trainers, singing every word with crisp confidence.

She did go on about her alcohol consumption, as is the habit of drunk people, but her towering self-belief could just as easily have been the result of a glut of fantastic songs.

The breezy reggae lilt of tracks such as Friday Night and LDN were sunshine in song form, arm-waving anthems swept along by a swaying horn section and 22-year-old Allen's childlike enthusiasm.

But like many of her young fans, her giddy energy was tempered by a spiky attitude. Songs such as Not Big, about an exboyfriend's physical shortcomings, and No 1 single Smile, about a bitter break-up, were nastier beneath their sparkly surfaces.

And she continued to demonstrate the vicious quotability that has made her a tabloid favourite.

Everything's Just Wonderful was preceded by a giant two fingers to absolutely everybody, not least the fashion fascists: "I'd like to tell all those fashion magazine editors out there to f**k right off, because I think we're all right as we are, ladies."

Still soaking up the success of a magnificent debut album, she won't be panicking just yet about repeating her triumph. Worryingly, however, two new songs, Sunday Morning and Absolutely Nothing, seemed laboured and had none of the lightness of her recent hits.

A charming reggae cover of Blondie's Heart Of Glass actually sounded far more like the Lily everybody loves.

For now, though, it is a rare thing for the UK to have two world class women breaking through at once, and that's something worth celebrating rather than concocting a fake rivalry.

If both of them can stay upright, British pop will continue to be in pretty good shape.

Lily Allen
Apollo Hammersmith
Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH