Apple Music Festival, Britney Spears review: Superstar shows why we still want a piece of her

Once as wooden as a rainforest, Britney has been forced by Vegas to up her game, and her high-octane, tightly choreographed 90-minute extravaganza was visually dazzling, says John Aizlewood
Gimme more: Britney Spears with her backing dancers — and in one of her eight costumes — at the Roundhouse in Camden.
Dave J. Hogan
John Aizlewood28 September 2016

It has been a long and sometimes painful haul, but Britney Spears has passed through the soap opera years. Since December 2013 the star, who has sold 100 million records, has had a 50-dates-a-year Las Vegas residency.

It is so successful its run has been extended to next May. The 10th Apple Music Festival’s great coup was to entice her on a rare foreign excursion. Last night, a slightly truncated version of that Vegas show formed her first British performance since 2011.

Once as wooden as a rainforest, the 34-year-old has been forced by the Vegas years to up her game.

She said little beyond an invitation to “get naughty” and briefly chancing her British accent, while her singing was suspiciously pristine during even the most strenuous workout. Nevertheless, her high-octane, tightly choreographed 90-minute extravaganza was visually dazzling.Chairs were danced around; actual spears as well as Britney Spears were carried; there was wit in If U Seek Amy and semi-darkness to Piece Of Me, but the pace never slackened — aside from the eight costume changes.

For all her hyper-sexuality, Spears still moves like a spinster aunt, so her dozen dancers did the more taxing legwork, leaving her as the gyrating calm in the centre of the frenzied hurricane.

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A crowd including Rita Ora, Sam Smith, Daisy Lowe, Poppy Delevingne, DJ Nick Grimshaw, Melanie Blatt, Millie Mackintosh, Nicholas Hoult, Georgia May Jagger and Laura Whitmore swooned as she dived into her vast reservoir of hits, from last century’s …Baby One More Time to this year’s Make Me, via the intoxicating Toxic and stompers (You Drive Me) Crazy and Stronger.

Purists may sneer that Spears is as plastic as aeroplane cutlery, but that misses the point. This was a riot of sound, colour and movement. More important still, from first to last it was fabulous fun.

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