From the British music industry journal, “Music Week”: Pet Shop Boys are facing a close battle with Ronan Keating as they look to score their first number one album in the UK in more than 15 years. The duo’s new Parlophone-issued album “Yes” is presently around 1,200 units ahead of Keating’s Polydor release “Songs For My Mother”, according to early retail reports, but the story is made more complicated by the PSB album having accidentally ended up on iTunes three days early last week. It is understood around 2,500 sales of the album achieved on the Apple site following its premature release there last Friday will not count towards this coming week’s chart as they will be recognised as sales from last week instead. Pet Shop Boys, who won the outstanding contribution award at this year’s Brits, have only topped the albums chart once before. “Very” reached number one in October 1993.
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Pet Shop Boys enjoyed a hot and sunny start to their “Dreamworld” summer tour over the past week. Thanks to all who danced through the heatwave with us in Taranto, Istanbul and Athens. Next up is Paris on Wednesday, before Chris’s homecoming at Lytham Festival this Saturday. See you there!
Photo by: Release Athens Festival
Wednesday’s concert at Blind Fest in Istanbul was such fun thanks to the fabulous audience.
“Pet Shop Boys projected Pride images onto giant screens, sending a well-deserved salute from the stage to our streets where Pride is banned…. The concert, which began emotionally and romantically, suddenly transformed into the warm, party atmosphere of Ibiza towards the end with the weight of the bass and the magnificence of the lights. The stage was fantastic. Right in the middle of the past and the future, of sadness and resistance; we both danced and felt the power of love and music side by side.” (Review from Radio Cazkolik.)
Now we’re in Athens for our Release Festival performance tomorrow evening.
Photo: Blind Fest
10 years ago today, Pet Shop Boys released “Twenty-something”, the second single from their album “Super”. The video was directed by Gavin Filipiak, who had directed the video of a cover version of “West End girls” by the cholo goth group Prayers. It won the San Diego Film Award for Best Music Video. Link below.
Taranto, Italy, last night. Our first show of the summer and our first visit to beautiful Apulia. Grazie!
Photo: Medimex Music
Pet Shop Boys are looking forward to their Dreamworld summer tour, which begins this Saturday at Medimex Festival in Taranto, Italy. See you there!
Starting today, the newly restored centenary edition of Sergei Eisenstein’s masterpiece “Battleship Potemkin” with music by PSB can be seen in French cinemas for the first time. All details at the link below.
Production rehearsals today for “Dreamworld”. See you soon in Italy, Türkiye, Greece, France, the UK, Germany, Spain, Norway and Denmark. Neil and Chris xx