On May 2 the Pet Shop Boys appear at Heaven nightclub in London, playing a four song set as part of Can You Bear It?, a benefit for Dainton Connell’s family. For the final song they are joined by Suggs and Carl from Madness, in rambunctious high spirits, to perform a dance version of Madness’s “My Girl”: “It was a very emotional night”.
On October 27 a Pet Shop Boys-produced single by the British artist Sam Taylor-Wood, “I’m in love with a German film star”, is released on the cult German dance label Kompakt. It is the Pet Shop Boys’ third collaboration with Sam Taylor-Wood though the previous one was released under the pseudonym Kiki Kokova. The song is an electronic reinterpretation of the 1981 single by the Passions, a suggestion of Neil’s.
This year’s annual Christmas single from the Killers — “Joseph (Better You Than Me)” — is originally planned as a collaboration between The Killers and Elton John. Neil gets involved after Brandon Flowers asks for help with the lyric; in the end Neil’s short section of guide vocal for the lyric he contributes will remain in the final song when it is made available for download.
As they had the night before, Neil and Chris make an early public appearance (Neil: ‘It was incredibly embarrassing’) in Belgium, this time in a nightclub in Charleroi.
The Pet Shop Boys perform live at the MTV Video Music Awards.
After working in the studio on ‘Between Two Islands,’ Neil has dinner in London with Courtney Love.
Neil is in Greece for a week’s rest before the start of the North American leg of the Fundamental Tour. The official PSB website reports that he has enjoyed a swim in the hot waters of a volcano.
The Boys bring their Pandemonium Tour show to Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater.
They kick off the Latin American leg of their 2017 Super Tour by performing at the Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro.
They headline the BBC Radio 2 Live show at London’s Hyde Park. The Boys’ performance is broadcast live on the BBC Four television channel, followed by a compilation of their classic appearances on Top of the Pops.