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.”
The first (eponymously titled) album by Electronic is released. Two tracks feature one or both Boys: Neil co-wrote and sings on ‘Getting Away with It’—which doesn’t initially appear on the U.K. version, but does in other countries (it’s added to the U.K. version upon later re-release)—and both Neil and Chris co-wrote and perform on ‘The Patience of a Saint.’
The Boys host a ‘Comic Relief’ charity special this evening on BBC Radio 1, airing music of their choice. They’re joined on the show by a number of popular British comedians.
The Pet Shop Boys perform in Detroit.
They perform at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.
Take That’s reunion tour, with the Pet Shop Boys as ‘special guests,’ kicks off with the first of four nights at the Sunderland (U.K.) Stadium of Light. The Boys perform a 40-minute ten-song opening set of highlights from their Pandemonium Tour.
They finish work on their song for Thilo Heinzmann’s wedding.
At the International Music Summit in Ibiza, Neil and Chris are interviewed onstage by dance music DJ/executive Pete Tong.
The Pet Shop Boys conclude their concert this evening in Newcastle by dedicating their performance of ‘Being Boring’ to Depeche Mode’s Andy Fletcher, who had died of natural causes the previous day.