Miley Cyrus at Glastonbury, review: At her best, something quite special
Mark Ronson joins her onstage, as he did King Princess earlier in the weekend, but his appearance is low-key. Cyrus is the star. And she knows it
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Miley Cyrus has always been more talented than people give her credit for. Frequently written off either as a manufactured former-tween Disney star or as a twerk-obsessed provocateur, she tends to get short shrift, her charisma, voice and propensity for experimentation too often overlooked.
But at her best – and, admittedly, she strays from this not infrequently – the 26-year-old is something quite special. She is, in the words of Mark Ronson in a recent Independent interview, “part Dolly Parton, part Joan Jett”. She brings both of those influences to today’s Glastonbury set – a playful, inflammatory, self-assured performance.
After arriving on stage flanked by footage of her seductively eating, sucking and licking fruit – the sound’s turned up to 11, a misophonia-sufferer’s nightmare – she points at someone in the crowd and yells, “Nice titties!” Dressed in a thin blue crop top, leather trousers and a Gucci belt that reads Glastonbury in gold lettering, she seems quite enamoured with her own, too – more than once, she flashes the handheld camcorder following her around the stage.
“Nothing Breaks Like a Heart”, her brilliant Mark Ronson collaboration, leads into a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black”. Ronson joins her onstage, as he did King Princess earlier in the weekend, but his appearance is low-key. Cyrus is the star. And she knows it.
For “Mother’s Daughter”, from her forthcoming album She is Miley Cyrus – a song that straddles a line between her pop-heavy Bangerz sound and the country-leaning one of her 2017 album Younger Now – the singer grabs her crotch and writhes up and down the mic stand. Later, she does the splits and bounces in that position, then does a shoulder stand, legs spread. A faithful cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, which showcases Cyrus’s low, raspy voice, is an altogether gentler affair.
After a scuzzier rendition of cheesy 2009 single "Party in the USA", rapper Lil Nas X, wearing a Miley Cyrus T-shirt, and the singer's father, Billy Rae Cyrus, turn up to perform their unexpected collaborative single "Old Town Road". For once, Cyrus takes a backseat. A brief intermission follows, before she returns in a purple wig and performs “On a Roll”, the fictitious, so-bad-it’s-good single from her Black Mirror alter-ego Ashley O, which has racked up nearly 9 million YouTube views. It goes down a storm.
For all her risqué onstage theatrics, Cyrus insists that she isn’t as fearless as she seems. “I ask the universe every day, ‘Give me something that scares the f**k out of me,’” she says. “Today that’s motherf**king Glastonbury.” Fear suits her.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments