'We love you Lily Allen!'

Like the Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen developed such a fervent web following at such an early stage in her pop career that her first proper single went straight to No.1 last week. Her debut album, Alright, Still, is extremely likely to do the same on Sunday.

Clearly on fame's fast track at just 21, it has not taken her long to acquire a star mentality. 'We love you Lily!' yelled a female fan. 'I love myself,' she replied without a blink.

But while there is obviously a hefty ego swelling beneath that bright green party dress, she also has a refreshingly carefree take on pop success. Right now it's simply a brilliant laugh, a new game played with the casual enthusiasm of someone who could easily prefer to do something entirely different by next week.

'It's my second week at No.1,' she giggled, 'and the album's out today, so get your tight arses down the shop and buy it.'

With haphazardly tied-back hair, fluorescent eye shadow, draped in showy jewellery and drinking a pint, she looked like a good-time girl ready for a big night out. She must have chosen her all-male band on the basis that only they could match her energy levels - the drummer sported a Viking helmet while the bassist was dressed as a circus showman.

Her father, actor and professional socialiser Keith Allen, watched from the crowd alongside art dealer Jay Jopling, although Lily has irritatedly refuted the occasional accusation of nepotism. In any case, the songs she aired here were filet mignon in comparison with daddy's Vindaloo.

With a summery reggae lilt, sing-song rapping and swaying horns, her sounds could not be sweeter. Which made it more shocking to discover that the majority of her lyrics are fantastically rude.

Not Big took a boyfriend to task for the content of his trousers. Nan, You're a Window Shopper advised grandmother, 'You've got a leak in your colostomy bag'. The much-requested Alfie saw her commanding her wayward brother to 'stop being a twat' over jolly carnival rhythms.

Aside from a half-thought-out cover of the Kaiser Chiefs' Oh My God, everything sounded like a hit single.

Do we really have the web to thank for all this? Yes and no. As with Sandi Thom, whose basement webcasts were not as home-made as they first appeared, this isn't simply a case of, 'If you build a website, they will come.'

Allen had already signed her record deal and recorded these great songs before she signed up for a MySpace page, but the internet community's blend of music and diary writing did prove the perfect showcase for her spiky, unpolished personality.

Thanks to MySpace, thousands of people discovered her without being pushed towards her by a record company, and now feel as if someone they know personally is enjoying all this success. Naturally, they want her to have more.

Brash, confident and in possession of some fabulous tunes, Lily Allen is just the girl to take it.

Lily Allen, La Roux