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.”
‘Always on My Mind’ debuts on the U.S. singles chart, beginning a 15-week run during which it peaks at #4.
The Boys begin work on ‘Electricity.’
Chris and Neil board a jet for a late-night flight from Chile to New Zealand for their first-ever concert in the latter country. Because they cross the International Date Line on the overnight trip, they end up arriving in New Zealand on March 28, ‘losing’ Tuesday the 27th in the process and, unwittingly, narrowly escaping disaster. (More about that on March 28.)
The Pet Shop Boys make their third appearance on Graham Norton’s U.K. TV show, guesting along with one of their most famous fans, David Walliams of Little Britain. After a brief comic interview segment, the Boys perform the current single, ‘Love etc.’
This evening is the final performance of the inaugural run of the Tennant/Lowe ballet The Most Incredible Thing at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre.
The Boys kick off a brief four-date concert tour of East Asia with their show this evening in Singapore.