The Pet Shop Boys roamed into The Horden Pavillion virtually unnoticed between V Festival gigs. Their tickets went on sale and the gig advertised with barely a whimper. If the advertising was mature and understated, so too was the performance of these electro pop veterans.
Warm up act Sparkadia, sound like the vast majority of indie-retro rock bands dominating the scene at the moment. But not unlike many of their contemporaries, they are an engaging, polished and stylistic act who had no trouble holding the attention of, what lead singer Alex B admitted, was their “biggest crowd ever”.
Spruiking recent EP Things Behind The Sun, the three piece elevate clever songs with undulating guitar based arrangements, and truly beautiful vocals from Alex B. What you end up with, is that hard to obtain, indie-rock kitsch. Heartbreaking tunes like Devil in Me and current single Morning Light blend nicely into a neatly presented musical journey which will be sure to move albums in the near future.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe emerged shaking hands, as if to a sequel to something big. It has been thirteen years since The Pet Shop Boys discovery tour, and fans were beside themselves at the chance to be treated “with an evening of electronic entertainment”.
Lead singer Neil Tennant wore top hat and tails and had all the charm and charisma reserved for a Master of Ceremonies of his calibre. Meanwhile Chris Lowes‘ hoodies, baseball cap and jeans are standard uniform for the anybody who wears headphones for a living these days. Together with three other singers and two dancers, the evening traverses the boundaries of concert and cabaret from the introductory synthesisers to the final electronic beat.
If anything the vaudeville sometimes detracted from the impossibly album perfect voice of Neil Tennant and the enduring charm he brings with it. Like much of their back catalogue, a 2007 revisit of the Pet Shop Boys can be a tad dull and repetitive. A lack of strength in some of their song writing and strength in their harmony’s leave some of the beats fending for themselves. However any possible criticism is quickly destroyed when their bigger hits begin to murder the dancefloor. Power pop songs such as Shopping, I’m With Stupid and Always On My Mind keep on coming in a way that puts most artists to shame. Not only do they have so many hits with which to draw, a Pet Shop Boys concert is a non-stop party with every single offering an up-tempo disco gem. Encore tracks It’s A Sin and Go West play in your mind days after you’ve left the auditorium and I’ve learnt never to accuse the Pet Shop Boys of ever being Boring.
