On February 28 the Pet Shop Boys begin a short, four-concert Russian tour, visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg, inspired by their visit to St. Petersburg to see Brian Eno the previous summer. In Moscow they perform twice in one night, once in a large arena then later in the middle of an over-crowded nightclub. The local media ask them whether they speak Russian, “We’re very good at saying ‘nyet’,” they explain.
On April 13, Twentieth Century Blues: The Songs of Noel Coward is released. It is an album of Noel Coward songs covered by contemporary musicians, co-compiled by Neil, who has been working on it for the past eighteen months. He has loved Noel Coward’s music since he first heard it in about 1970. “I think as a songwriter he’s slightly underrated,” Neil says, “simply because his plays are so famous, and people forget.” The Pet Shop Boys do a version of “Sail Away”, and amongst the other interpreters are Elton John, Paul McCartney, Suede, Robbie Williams and the Divine Comedy. “We tried to choose artists,” Neil explains, “who somehow seem to be in the Noel Coward tradition of wit, theatrically and style.” To promote the album, Neil appeared along on TFI Friday where he sang along with a busker playing Pet Shop Boys songs on an acoustic guitar.
At the request of their former American record company, the Pet Shop Boys agreed to the release of ‘Essential Pet Shop Boys’, a compilation of early Pet Shop Boys songs recorded between 1985 — 1990, including a number of rare remixes, as part of a series of limited edition CDs by other artists.
At the behest of director Gus Van Sant, the Pet Shop Boys wrote a new song, with Tom Stephan, at extremely short notice for the soundtrack of Van Sant’s remake of ‘Psycho’. It is called “Screaming”. “It’s about an obsessive fan, written from the obsessive fan’s point of view,” Neil says. “Or actually just by someone obsessed with someone who doesn’t love them.”
Produced by Bobby ‘O’ Orlando, the Flirts’ ‘Passion’—which ends up having a major influence on PSB—is released.
Chris and Neil record ‘That’s My Impression’ at Aosis Studios in London.
The Boys perform the first of two concerts in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Kylie Minogue records her vocals for ‘In Denial.’
To help celebrate 30 years of the BRIT Awards, Mastercard sponsors a competition for a member of the British public to win a live performance by an award-winner in the living room of his or her own home. The winner, Lorraine Sands of Twickenham, is surprised when the Pet Shop Boys appear today at her doorstep. They then recreate a portion of their recent Pandemonium Tour show in her living room, complete with backup singers and dancers. They perform four songs: ‘Suburbia,’ ‘All Over the World,’ ‘It’s a Sin,’ and ‘West End Girls.’ Afterward Neil describes the experience as ‘surreal but very good fun.’
While visiting Berlin, Chris and Neil write a new song called ‘Multi-Kulti,’ inspired by German chancellor Angela Merkel. (This song, still unreleased, is later retitled ‘About Time.’)
Neil re-records the vocal for ‘Leaving.’
A rumor begins to spread online that Neil has written a soon-to-be-published autobiography titled Petipedia that, among other things, describes something of a feud between David Bowie and Elton John. The story about the autobiography is almost immediately refuted by a source within the PSB organization.