On April 22, the Pet Shop Boys musical Closer to Heaven is performed in London for the first time in fourteen years, in a sold-out month-long run at The Union Theatre. (It will return for a further five weeks beginning on October 21.). For this revival, at the Pet Shop Boys’ request, the musical’s original final number, “Positive role model”, is replaced by “Vocal”.
On August 15, the final date of the much-extended Electric tour – which began in March, 2013 – takes place at the Flow Festival in Helsinki. The tour has visited over forty countries.
On December 2, the Pet Shop Boys appear at MAMA – the Mnet Asian Music Awards – in Hong Kong. They are given the Worldwide Inspiration award and play a lengthy live medley, joined for their final two songs, “What have I done to deserve this?” and “Vocal”, by the K‑Pop artist f(x). At the organisers’ request, they wear the Electric tour straw jackets for, possibly, the final time.
The Pet Shop Boys are at #1 on the U.K. singles chart for the fourth straight week with ‘Always on My Mind.’
BPI awards U.K. double-platinum status to Introspective.
‘You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk’ debuts on the U.K. singles chart at #8.
Neil attends ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ at London’s Battersea Arts Centre, which he describes the next day on the official PSB website as ‘Extraordinary.… Very gothic.’ Like everyone else, he attends wearing a mask. In his case, it’s an especially appropriate one given the ‘Red Death’ theme: one of the ‘plague doctor’ masks that he and Chris wore on the cover of their ‘Numb’ single.
For the second time in as many days, the Boys announce on their official website the completion of a bonus track for their upcoming single ‘Love etc.’ The title of this second bonus track is ‘Gin and Jag.’
Today the lineup of artists performing at this year’s Coachella Music Festival (in April 2014) is announced. For the first time ever at Coachella, the Pet Shop Boys are listed among the artists scheduled to appear.
Although members had been informed of the fact several weeks earlier by club administration, the Pet Shop Boys formally announce today on their official website that they have closed their official fan club and that henceforth their publication Literally will be published on an annual basis and available for purchase. Meanwhile, while working on new tracks in London, they begin the first of several successive days of work on a song titled ‘Clean Air Hybrid.’