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History

February 1998

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.

April 1998

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.

June 1998

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.

1998 June

November 1998

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.”

On this day

1985

The original version of ‘Opportunities’ is released as a single.

2000

The Pet Shop Boys drop out from this year’s Roskilde Festival because nine attendees had died the day before during Pearl Jam’s set.

2006

In the wake of England’s loss to Portugal and elimination from the World Cup competition, BBC Sports airs a montage using the Boys’ ‘Numb’ as background music.

2007

Chris and Neil—or, more accurately, their avatars—perform as part of SecondFest, a three-day music festival taking place in Second Life, an ‘online 3D virtual reality world.’

2011

They meet with their manager, Angela Becker, to play songs they have recently composed and to discuss possible producers for their next album. This same evening, the film of the Tennant-Lowe ballet The Most Incredible Thing has its world television broadcast debut on BBC4.

2013

The Boys perform in Dortmund, Germany.

2014

Neil and Chris are interviewed this evening on the BBC Radio 4 arts program Front Row.

2017

They perform this evening at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin.

2023

Chris and Neil bring the 2023 leg of their Dreamworld Tour to the continent with their appearance in Cologne, Germany.

2024

The Boys perform this evening in Prague.