Dizzee Rascal and Lily Allen came to the O2 Arena last night for the second of two co-headlining shows — and Allen’s last appearance on stage for a while.

Allen, who recently picked up the Brit Award for Best British Female, is taking a two-year break from performing to set up a record label and fashion shop, although she’ll be briefly coming out of retirement to play the Wireless
Festival in Hyde Park this July.

If the 24-year-old has grown tired of the pampered life of the popstar, then Dizzee Rascal is revelling in it. The winner of the Brit Award for best British male has moved from a leftfield grime upstart to a fully fledged pop phenomenon, and cavernous arenas such as this hold no fear for him.

Backed by a full band, which included four backing singers and a poodle-haired guitarist who looked like he’d got lost on the way to an Iron Maiden concert, Bow’s finest powered through the organ-rattling bass of Road Rage and expletive-packed Pussyole (Old Skool).

“I’ve got a lot of love for this country, but I can’t take this weather,” said Dizzee, before launching into the ebullient pop of Holiday. Bonkers followed and the night was his.

Which is to say that the order should have been reversed: Allen was never going to conjure quite the same level of excitement.

The stage set-up did her no favours, too. With a band lurking furtively above and behind on a glittering staircase, she cut a lonely figure as she shuffled across the huge stage during Everyone’s At It. This space would have best been filled with some backing vocalists. Even when not recovering from a bout of bronchitis, Allen’s voice is a flimsy instrument and she struggled to carry LDN’s soaring chorus alone.

After the bouncy ska of Smile threatened to get things going, a huge fight broke out in the audience, leaving a tearful Allen hurrying off stage.

Credit to her, she returned and things began to pick up. The staunch Labourite made her feelings clear about the Tory leader’s attack on the suitability of her lyrics for children during an introduction to a song (“This is dedicated to David Cameron — it’s called F**k You”) and thrilled with a fist-pumping cover of Britney Spears’ Womaniser.

The rockabilly guitar of Not Fair brought things to a close. “I love you, London,” shouted Allen as glitter exploded into the air. London loved her back, but as farewells go, this was a pretty forgettable one.