ADRIAN THRILLS: Miley's gone from wrecking ball to respectable

Published: 20:40 EDT, 26 September 2026 | Updated: 21:10 EDT, 26 September 2026 Bass Persuades, MileyRating: Three out of five stars Powered along by 1980s-style synthesisers and a hook that echoes Lady Gaga’s Poker Face, the title track of Miley Cyrus’s tenth album sounds like a serious statement of intent. An ode to nightclubbing, Bass Persuades also serves as a lament for a music scene so fragmented by streaming that none of us listens to the same songs as one another.‘The kids don’t wanna dance,’ observes Miley, who has dropped her surname to become a mononym in the tradition of Madonna and Kylie.The 33-year-old goes on to castigate younger fans for being glued to their phones before bemoaning the decline in music programming on cable TV: ‘You missed the hit without MTV.’Despite the disparaging tone, it’s an auspicious start to her first album for new label Atlantic. But as that vibrant intro gives way to slower, shimmering songs and breathless romantic ballads, it proves to be a red herring.As she told us on 2013’s Bangerz, Miley came in like a wrecking ball, taking the wholesome showbiz training of her Disney Channel background and adding eye-popping, provocative visuals. Miley Cyrus performs during Miley Cyrus Billions Club Series Paris at Maxim's on June 18, 2025 in Paris, FranceShe’s since toned down her act – and that march to respectability continues.If 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation was rooted in her divorce from actor Liam Hemsworth, top billing here goes to her relationship with fiancé Maxx Morando, one of her producers. She takes on the mantle of a blushing bride-to-be on Let’s Get Married (‘I’m having visions of white’) and is dreamily romantic on Neon Signs.It’s all rather slushy, although the songs are of a high standard. The best thing here is the pulsating Innocent Ways, in which she voices concern for one of her sisters (presumably younger sibling Noah). It’s slick and assured, but this return could do with a few more bangerz.Snow Patrol (Royal Albert Hall) Rating: Three out of five stars Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody performing at London's Royal Albert Hall to mark the 20th anniversary of their fourth album, Eyes OpenThe gig of the week came at the Royal Albert Hall, where Snow Patrol marked the 20th anniversary of their fourth album, Eyes Open, by playing it in full as they began a three-night residency. The record – recently given the deluxe reissue treatment – turned the Northern Irish band into a global success in 2006, and its songs have lost none of their punch.With tracks revisited in their original running order, there were some odd juxtapositions: the tender You Could Be Happy was sandwiched between two swirling rock songs. But the music had power and depth, with Johnny McDaid pounding his piano despite a broken hand.There’s plenty of emotional turmoil in frontman Gary Lightbody’s writing, resulting in thousands of fans singing lustily along to a string of sad songs. An immense Chasing Cars was a showstopper, while Martha Wainwright duetted on Set The Fire To The Third Bar.The band also played one new number – Love, I Guess – but this was otherwise a night of celebration and nostalgia.