She’s had a bit of a Toxic time but can Britney Spears prove she’s back on top at Birmingham’s LG Arena?

Once the undisputed Princess of Pop, beloved idol of teen girls and the bedroom fantasy of teenage boys, Miss Spears has had a rough deal in recent years.

Living up to the old adage that child stars become troubled later on in life, she has been best known in recent years for shaving off her signature blonde locks, getting arrested and her dubious love life.

A bumbling, awkward “comeback” in 2007 didn’t help matters.

But now, she seems to have pulled it together – she’s back on chat shows, radio appearances, and critics have praised the glittering theatrical, smoothly-produced performances, despite her unashamed lip-syncing.

And she’s back on tour to support latest album Femme Fatale, which reached the top 10 in the UK and hit the number one spot in the US Billboard charts.

“I had a definite idea in my head for the sound and direction of this album when we set out to make it and I think we nailed it,” she says.

“I’m really proud of this album. Also, in performances and stuff and in videos and in every craft that I do I always think up the storylines and just think about how to make it different and do stuff that’s never been done before.”

She is supported by Joe Jonas – one of the detestably saccharine Jonas Brothers, gone solo. He said of the tour: “It’s definitely surreal. I grew up listening to Britney Spears – it feels good to be back here but to be doing this tour is just so incredible.

“Britney was the first CD I ever bought so I’ve listened to her stuff since I was really young and continued to listen to her music for many years so it’s very exciting.

“For my own show, people can expect a very high energy, fun show.

“I almost try to make the crowd feel like they’re in a club, I just want to get them dancing, get them standing up.

“I feel like I’m not doing my job unless everyone’s standing up and rocking out.

“I have a really good time with it and hope everyone else does too.”

Despite his enthusiasm, Joe’s debut album Fastlife hit the shelves at the start of the week to a general response of “shrug” and getting a solid two-and-a-half stars out of five from most sources.

Britney’s show at Birmingham’s LG Arena on Sunday, October 30, is one of only three UK dates, and marks her first visit to the Midlands since 2004.

But, strangely, the date has failed to wow fans, and tickets have yet to sell out.

Discount websites such as Groupon have even been offering cut-price tickets to try and entice people into the seats.

For tickets, visit www.theticketfactory.com