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History

March 2011

On March 14 a double-CD of the music from the ballet The Most Incredible Thing is released under the name Tennant/Lowe. It contains the full performance score of the ballet with orchestrations by Sven Helbig.

2011 March

On March 17 the ballet The Most Incredible Thing has its first public performance at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. Its genesis can be traced back to a week in where, by chance, two initially unrelated events took place. Ivan Putrov, a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet whom the Pet Shop Boys had got to know through Sam Taylor-Wood, called Neil to ask whether they would write a piece for him to dance to. Two days later, before Neil had even had a chance to ask Chris, Chris called to say that he’d just read a story in a new translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales that he thought would make a great ballet: “The Most Incredible Thing”. This eventually led to the Sadler’s Wells production, choreographed by Javier de Frutos and starring Ivan Putrov, Clemmie Sveaas and Aaron Sillis. All ten performances sell out.

May 2011

On May 27 the Pet Shop Boys appear at the Sunderland Stadium of Light, joining Take That at their invitation as “special guests” on their first reunion concerts as a five-piece on what will be the biggest British tour ever – 29 British stadium shows – followed by a short European leg. “45 minutes of intensity,” says Chris.

December 2011

On December 31 the Pet Shop Boys appear at a New Year’s Eve concert on an island in Sydney Harbour.

On this day

1992

Rolling Stone article by Steve Hochman quotes Neil (speaking with regard to Freddie Mercury’s AIDS-related death) as regretfully saying that ‘a lot of people think that gays deserve to have this disease.’

2009

Yes debuts on Billboard magazine’s U.S. album chart at #32—the highest showing for any PSB album since Very back in 1993.

2013

A big day for PSB fans: the Boys’ official website announces the tracklist for their upcoming album Electric, reveals its front-cover artwork, announces the dates and venues for the North American leg of the Electric Tour, and debuts the video for ‘Axis,’ the album’s first single. ‘Axis’ also goes on sale as a digital download at iTunes on this, the last day of April in the U.S. (though when it becomes available it’s actually the first day of May in the U.K.).

2021

More than 25 years after its original release on VHS, the Pet Shop Boys’ DiscoVery: Live in Rio concert is released in a new DVD/CD package.