Taylor Swift's tepid nachos

And why they set the stage for a full reheat

Oh boy, the reviews of The Life of a Showgirl are brutal.

“Dull razzle-dazzle from a star who seems frazzled”, says The Guardian.

“Cringey, sour, diet indie rock,” griped Pitchfork.

“Penis metaphors and poor little rich girl tales start to chafe,” according to The Standard.

I did predict that if Swift continued to settle scores that she’d face some backlash. And here we are hours after the release of her twelfth album with claims that she’s “punching down” from her perch atop the music business on the track Actually Romantic.

The song’s ire is thought to be directed at Charli xcx, who apparently wrote Sympathy is a Knife about the insecurities she felt when in Swift’s company. And if so it’s a cheap shot because Charli was focussed on her own business. Swift was a trigger, not a target.

None of this matters to Swifties though. I’m not long back from an almost sold-out screening of The Official Release Party of a Showgirl movie, put on by the singer to mark the release. I, and many others…