Official Pet Shop Boys News
12.05.2012
Latitude Festival
We are pleased to announce that excerpts from "The Most Incredible Thing" will be performed at this year's Latitude festival in Suffolk, UK. Clemmie Sveaas and Aaron Sillis will dance on the Waterfront Stage on Sunday, July 15th, at around 2.30pm. Full details of this year's Latitude festival can be found at the link below.
Latitude 2012
The Word magazine
16.04.2012
Cover versions
Morten Harket's new album, "Out Of My Hands", has now been released in Germany and it includes the new Tennant/Lowe composition, "Listening". Go to the You Tube link below to hear it. Unfortunately we have no release information for other countries. Some recent versions of older Tennant/Lowe songs include "Rent" by the Californian band, State Of The Union, and "Being boring" by Brazilian singer Dinho Ouro Preto. Both are available on iTunes and can be heard on YouTube (links below).
Meanwhile, the British duo, Field Music, will release a very limited edition 7-inch single (pictured here) on Record Store Day, April 21st, in the UK which features covers of "Rent" and "Heart". You can hear their version of "Heart" at The Guardian music blog (link below).
Morten Harket: "Listening"
State Of The Union: "Rent"
Field Music: "Heart"
Dinho Ouro Preto: "Being boring"
25.03.2012
The return of The Most Incredible Thing
Today, March 25th, "The Most Incredible Thing", the ballet by Pet Shop Boys and choreographer Javier De Frutos based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen, returns to Sadler's Wells in London for a two-week run. First performed a year ago, the ballet returns in a revised production, Javier De Frutos having made several creative changes. Full details and ticket information can be found at the Sadler's Wells link below.Neil Tennant can be heard discussing the ballet today on "Weekend Wogan" on BBC Radio 2 between 11 am and 1 pm.
Sadler's Wells
Weekend Wogan
Evening Standard review
Daily Telegraph review
The Guardian review
DanceTabs review
21.03.2012
Eric Watson 1955-2012
We are very sad to report that Pet Shop Boys' friend and collaborator, Eric Watson, has died. Eric was a brilliant photographer who worked extensively for "Smash Hits" magazine in the first half of the 80s and took the first shots of Pet Shop Boys in 1983. Over the next few years he photographed Neil and Chris many times, including the covers for the single releases of "Opportunities", "West End girls", "Love comes quickly", "Please", "Suburbia", "It's a sin", "What have I done to deserve this?", "Rent", "Heart", "It's alright", "So hard", "Jealousy" and "DJ culture" and the album covers of "Please" and "Behaviour". In 1999 he returned to photograph Neil and Chris for the cover of the single, "I don't know what you want but I can't give it anymore" and the CD booklet of the "Nightlife" album. Eric also directed many classic PSB videos, including "West End girls", "Suburbia", "Domino dancing" and "DJ culture". When Pet Shop Boys first recorded "West End girls" with Bobby 'O' in 1983, Eric played it to an A&R man at Epic Records who then signed it, resulting in Pet Shop Boys' first single being released.Aside from his work with Pet Shop Boys, Eric created images and videos for many other pop artists and his landscape photographs were exhibited at the Blue Gallery in London in 1997. His work was also included in the exhibition "Icons Of Pop" at the National Portrait Gallery in London and a selection of his photographs of Pet Shop Boys was exhibited in the same gallery to coincide with the publication of the book, "Catalogue".
Originating from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Eric moved to London in the early 70s and studied at Hornsey College of Art. In recent years he taught photography. He will be much missed by his family, friends, students and all those who appreciated his work
Wikipedia/Eric Watson
Discogs/Eric Watson
The Guardian (obituary)
Dave Hepworth blog
The Independent (obituary)
28.02.2012
The Most Incredible Thing in rehearsal
Rehearsals have commenced this week for the return production of "The Most Incredible Thing" which will open at Sadler's Wells in London on March 25th for a two-week run. Some changes and revisions are being made, including the show only having one interval (which will occur in the middle of Act Two at the end of the "Clock" sequence) and a short new scene being added, entitled "The King's lament", the music for which is an orchestral arrangement by Sven Helbig of "Help me" from Act One. You can hear choreographer Javier De Frutos discussing the ballet on the BBC "Radio 2 Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman" (link below). Tickets for performances can be purchased from the Sadler's Wells link below.The Radio 2 Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman
Sadler's Wells tickets
16.02.2012
Singbox
We are pleased to announce that the Pet Shop Boys Singbox app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is released today.The app, developed by Swedish company Singbox, allows users to sing along to Pet Shop Boys songs on their device and compete with other users in a way that was only previously possible on console games.
The app includes singalong versions of original Pet Shop Boys videos, including "West End girls", "Suburbia" and "New York City boy". Users can share their score on Facebook, challenge a friend and compete with others online. The app contains studio functionality with tailored sound effects and filters.
The app is available to download from the Apple App Store (link below).
PSB Singbox App at the App Store
06.02.2012
Format released
"If more artistes’ A-sides were half as good as Pet Shop Boys’ B-sides the world would be a much more interesting place." - The Express"Format", the new double-CD compilation of PSB b-sides and bonus tracks, is released today in the UK and was released in Germany and some other European countries on Friday.
Go to the link below to access our brand new "Format" microsite which contains exclusive interviews with Neil and Chris discussing the album, as well as information about the songs included, music extracts and more.
Meanwhile our "Format" prize draw is still open (see the news story below).
Format microsite
Buy Format at iTunes Deutschland
Buy Format at iTunes UK
Buy Format at Amazon UK
OMH review
Express review
Review in Metro
Drowned In Sound review
The Guardian review
BBC review
24.01.2012
Format prize draw
Order "Format" before midnight on February 26th, 2012, and you will be entered into a draw to win one of two original "Sodom and Gomorrah" jackets as worn in the 2006-7 Fundamental Tour (see photograph). All pre-orders received so far will also be entered into the draw. The jackets were customised by PSB designer and wardrobe coordinator, Jeffrey Bryant, and worn by dancers or backing singers during the "Sodom and Gomorrah show" segment of the Fundamental tour production in 2006-7. Go to the link below to order your copy and enter the draw for one of the jackets. "Format" is released on February 6th and orders placed before then will be shipped on February 3rd; orders placed after will be eligible for the draw until midnight on February 26th. The winners will be announced on February 27th.Order Format
01.01.2012
The Most Incredible Thing returns
The Pet Shop Boys/Javier De Frutos ballet, "The Most Incredible Thing", returns to Sadler's Wells in London for 15 performances, from March 25th to April 7th. Tickets are on sale from the link below. There will also be two performances at the Festspielhaus in St Poelten, Austria, on April 13th and 14th. To book tickets go to the link below.
"The Most Incredible Thing" recently won an Evening Standard Theatre Award and Javier De Frutos has also been nominated for Best Modern Choreography in the prestigious Critics Circle Awards 2011 which will be presented in London later this month.
London tickets
St Poelten tickets
28.12.2011
New Year's Eve in Sydney
Later this week, Pet Shop Boys will be performing at this year's New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia. For this exclusive, one-off concert, the entire Pandemonium production will be presented for the first time in Australia. Pet Shop Boys will be on stage for 90 minutes at Glebe Island from 7.30 pm. Other performers over the course of the evening include Jamiroquai, Culture Club and Pseudo Echo. We expect this to be the final "Pandemonium" performance ever (but we have said that before...). Full details and ticket information can be found at the link below.Sydney New Year tickets
Same Same
ABC radio interview
