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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

1996

The Moscow Choral Academy records the choral background vocals for ‘A Red Letter Day.’

1997

The Pet Shop Boys appear on the U.K. TV show This Morning. During the interview, co-host Richard Madeley famously asks Neil how his ‘wife’ is. Neil is understandably amused by the question.

1999

Elvis Costello and Neil Tennant serve as eulogists at the funeral of Dusty Springfield in Henley, U.K., which Chris Lowe also attends.

2012

Still in Los Angeles as work on their next studio album progresses, Neil and Chris pay a visit today to Hollywood Forever cemetery. They’re sufficiently impressed by what they describe as the ‘very rock-and-roll memorial’ to Johnny Ramone that the following day they post a photo of it on their official website.

2013

They visit Mark Farrow’s studio to check out some ideas for the cover of their next album, Electric.

2015

Chris and Neil are on the guest list for the funeral today in Porthcawl, U.K. of former Visage vocalist and ‘New Romantic’ icon Steve Strange.

2024

They take part in filming the video for the second single from their upcoming album Nonetheless, although they haven’t yet at this time revealed which song it is. (It turns out to be ‘Dancing Star.’)