ARCHIVE NEWS FROM
JANUARY - DECEMBER 2010

Some of the news items on this page have been reproduced from PetShopBoys.co.uk, with the kind permission of Bill 'Redman' Goodin.

25th December 2010 - Merry Christmas!

So Pet Shop Boys would like to wish everybody around the world a very merry Christmas.

17th December 2010 - Literally Issue 36

It's here, Literally Issue 36 came through my letterbox this morning. To find out what's in it see the Literally page for more details.

17th December 2010 - 2010 Christmas Card

It's here, the Pet Shop Boys Club 2010 Christmas card came through my letterbox this morning.
To find out what this years Christmas card looks like see my Christmas 2010 page.

12th December 2010 - UK Chart

This week in the singles chart 'Together' went out of the top 100.

5th December 2010 - UK Chart

This week 'Together' entered the singles chart at number 58. In the album chart 'Ultimate' went out of the top 100.

4th December 2010 - Hammersmith Concert

Only a fews day to go now to the Pet Shop Boys' concert at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London. The show, on Wednesday 8th December 2010, will be the last ever UK date of the acclaimed 'Pandemonium Tour' which began in June 2009. It's a great venue in which to see the full production, designed by Es Devlin, which was a triumphant success at the Glastonbury Festival this summer. DJ Jo Whiley approached Neil and Chris to play this concert after their Glastonbury performance. Every year she organises a series of Little Noise and Big Noise Sessions, benefit concerts for the charity Mencap. The special support group are The Ting Tings and some tickets are still available. Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.

29th November 2010 - Out Today

Don't forget that 'Together' is released in the UK today. The formats of 'Together' feature brand new tracks, 'Glad All Over' (a cover version of the early 1960s hit by The Dave Clark Five) and 'I Cried For Us' (a cover version song by the late Kate McGarrigle, mother of Rufus Wainwright). Buy 'Together': UK CD1/Download1, UK CD2/Download2, Download3. The track listing is as follows:

CD1 - 2 Track CD (9486812):
Together - Radio Mix
West End Girls - Grum Mix

CD2 - Maxi CD (9476912):
Together - Album Version
Glad All Over
I Cried For Us
Together - Extended Mix

Digital Download Bundle 1:
Together - Album Version
Glad All Over
I Cried For Us
Together - Extended Mix

Digital Download Bundle 2:
Together - Radio Mix
West End Girls - Grum Mix

Digital Download Bundle 3:
Together - Pepptalk Mix
Together - Ultrabeat Mix
West End Girls - Grum Dub Mix

Digital Download Bundle 4:
Together - Video

28th November 2010 - UK Chart

This week in the album chart 'Ultimate' went down 20 places to number 93.

27th November 2010 - Alan Titchmarsh

Neil and Chris are on 'The Alan Titchmarsh Show' on ITV1 at 5.00pm in the UK on Monday 29th November 2010 performing 'Together' and an old song and having a chat.

24th November 2010 - Literally Issue 36

A new issue of Literally, the Pet Shop Boys' magazine, will be posted to members of the Pet Shop Boys Club in about two weeks time. Club members will also get a Christmas card with a code giving access to an exclusive free download.

21st November 2010 - UK Chart

This week in the album chart 'Ultimate' went down 29 places to number 73.

16th November 2010 - Daybreak

Neil and Chris are on 'Daybreak' on ITV1 from 6.00am in the UK on Friday 17th November 2010 chatting with presenters Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley.

15th November 2010 - The Most Incredible Thing Tickets

Tickets are now on sale for the first run of performances of 'The Most Incredible Thing', a new ballet choreographed by Javier De Frutos to original music by Tennant/Lowe. The performances are at the Sadler's Wells theatre, London, from Thursday 17th March 2011 to Saturday 26th March 2011 (previews 17th-21st March 2011). Tickets are priced between £10 and £40. Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.
To see a short piece about the creation of the ballet and hear some demo music, visit the Sadler's Wells website. A double-CD of the music, produced by the Pet Shop Boys and Sven Helbig, is planned for release by Parlophone to coincide with this run of performances and a national and international tour of the ballet for later in 2011 is currently being planned.

14th November 2010 - UK Chart

This week in the album chart 'Ultimate' went down 17 places to number 44.

10th November 2010 - The One Show

Neil and Chris were on 'The One Show' last night on BBC1 in the UK. A clip of the 'Together' video, filmed in Estonia was shown. You can watch it again on the BBC iPlayer. It's available to watch again until Tuesday 16th November 2010 at 7:29pm.

9th November 2010 - Outstanding Contribution Award Dropped By The Brits

The Outstanding Contribution to Music Award will no longer be handed out at the Brit Awards. Organisers of the annual music bash have opted to ditch the prize, which was given to the Pet Shop Boys in 2009. It's among numerous changes for 2011 show which will move to a new venue, London's O2 Arena, from its old home of Earls Court.

8th November 2010 - Mencap Show Support Act

The Pet Shop Boys are very proud to announce that The Ting Tings will be performing as the support act at the Pet Shop Boys' Big Noise Session at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London on Wednesday 8th December 2010 in aid of the charity Mencap. Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.

7th November 2010 - UK Chart

This week 'Ultimate' entered the album chart at number 27.

6th November 2010 - Graham Norton

Neil and Chris were on 'The Graham Norton Show' last night on BBC1 in the UK. They chatted and played 'It's A Sin'. The show is repeated on Monday at 11.15pm on BBC1 or you can watch it again on the BBC iPlayer from the 34th minute. It's available to watch again until Monday 15th November 2010 at 11:59pm.

5th November 2010 - London Concert Tickets On Sale Today

Tickets go on sale this morning at 9.00am for the Big Noise Session at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London on Wednesday 8th December 2010. Tickets are priced at £50.00 (all ticket prices are subject to an additional booking fee) and all proceeds from the night will go to learning disability charity Mencap. Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.

1st November 2010 - Out Today

Don't forget that 'Ultimate' is released in the UK today which includes the new song, 'Together', written and produced with former Xenomania staff member Tim Powell. The special edition of 'Ultimate' includes a DVD with over 3 hours of TV performances by the Pet Shop Boys, released by arrangement with BBC Music. As well as the complete Glastonbury Festival performance from earlier this year, there are 27 performances of singles. Buy 'Ultimate': UK CD/Download, UK Special Edition CD+DVD/Download. The CD/download track listing is as follows:

CD (9193952):
West End Girls
Suburbia
It's A Sin
What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Always On My Mind
Heart
Domino Dancing
Left To My Own Devices
Being Boring
Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
Go West
Before
Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)
New York City Boy
Home And Dry
Miracles
I'm With Stupid
Love Etc.
Together

30th October 2010 - On The Radio

Chris and Neil will be interviewed by Graham Norton on his BBC Radio 2 show today, Saturday at around midday. Then tomorrow, Sunday at around midday you can hear Neil being interviewed by Matt Everitt for an hour on 'The First Time With...' on BBC Radio 6.

27th October 2010 - Big Noise For Mencap

Press release issued today by Mencap:
Mencap is proud to announce that the Pet Shop Boys will be performing a very special one-off Christmas Big Noise Session show on Wednesday 8th December 2010, at the Hammersmith Apollo. The legendary dance-pop duo will be presenting a one-off UK theatre performance of their 'Pandemonium Tour' show which has toured the world and was a huge hit at this year's Glastonbury Festival and at the O2 Arena last year. They will also be joined by a number of support acts who will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets are priced at £50.00 (all ticket prices are subject to an additional booking fee) and all proceeds from the night will go to learning disability charity Mencap.
Mencap's Big Noise Session is a new addition to the much-loved Little Noise Sessions, curated and hosted by the legendary DJ and Mencap ambassador Jo Whiley. Last year's inaugural event saw bonafide superstars Coldplay perform a one-off homecoming gig in Exeter and now it’s the turn of the Pet Shop Boys to bring their magic to Big Noise as it makes its London debut.
Get in quick now for a chance to buy tickets ahead of general release. Subscribe now, for just £6 for six months at the Little Noise Sessions website and have exclusive access to a host of great content including; priority ticketing, backstage footage, audio, photos and all the latest news from the Big Noise backstage blog. Pre-sale tickets will be available for subscribers to purchase from Wednesday 3rd November 2010, ahead of general release on Friday 5th November 2010. Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.
This spectacular Christmas present comes hot on the heels of the recent announcement of the hugely successful Mencap's Little Noise Sessions. Running over 6 nights, artists including Tom Jones, Paolo Nutini, Hurts, Ellie Goulding, The Kooks, Example, plus many more will be performing acoustic sets at Islington's stunning Union Chapel.
The Pet Shop Boys comment, "We are very happy to support Mencap and look forward to an amazing evening with our last UK Pandemonium show ever." Mencap ambassador Jo Whiley says, "We are delighted to have such a stellar line up for Mencap's Big Noise Session, as it makes its London debut. Here's to another unbelievable gig, at the same time raising money for a fantastic cause. Join me for a real Christmas treat."
For more information, visit the Mencap website.

26th October 2010 - Together Full And Revised Track Listing

The Pet Shop Boys' new track 'Together', which has just been released digitally, will get its full single release on Monday 29th November 2010 on Parlophone Records. 'Together' is taken from the new greatest hits album, 'Ultimate' which is released on Monday 1st November 2010.
The formats of 'Together' feature brand new tracks, 'Glad All Over' (a cover version of the early 1960s hit by The Dave Clark Five) and 'I Cried For Us' (a cover version song by the late Kate McGarrigle, mother of Rufus Wainwright). Buy 'Together - Album Version': Download. Pre-order 'Together': UK CD1/Download1, UK CD2/Download2, Download3. The track listing is as follows:

CD1 - 2 Track CD (9486812):
Together - Radio Mix
West End Girls - Grum Mix

CD2 - Maxi CD (9476912):
Together - Album Version
Glad All Over
I Cried For Us
Together - Extended Mix

Digital Download Bundle 1:
Together - Album Version
Glad All Over
I Cried For Us
Together - Extended Mix

Digital Download Bundle 2:
Together - Radio Mix
West End Girls - Grum Mix

Digital Download Bundle 3:
Together - Pepptalk Mix
Together - Ultrabeat Mix
West End Girls - Grum Dub Mix

Digital Download Bundle 4:
Together - Video

25th October 2010 - The Top 200 Rarest Records

The Pet Shop Boys have two records in the Top 200 Rarest Records list published in the December 2010 issue of 'Record Collector' magazine which is out now.
At number 165 (119) is the 'Introspective' clear vinyl triple pack from 1988, with custom pressings with paper strip. Only 10 known copies were ever made and it's worth £800 in mint condition.
At number 164 (NEW) is the 'Compiled' CD-R of five tracks given away as prizes on Radio 1's Pet Shop Boys day in 1993. Only 20 copies were ever made, they feature two exclusive mixes and each copy was signed by both Neil and Chris and it's worth £800 in mint condition.
The number 1 (1) Most Valuable Record Of Our Time is, 'That'll be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger' by The Quary Men. The 1958 plain sleeved 10" 78rpm acetate is worth £150,000 in mint condition.
The numbers shown in brackets refer to the ranking last time a Rarest Records list was published in 'Record Collector' magazine in the December 2006 issue.

24th October 2010 - Out Today

'Together - Album Version' is released today as a 1 track download ahead of a full release on Monday 29th November 2010. Buy 'Together - Album Version': Download.

23rd October 2010 - Shopping

The online shop pages on my website have been updated to include download links where available. Check them out. For Pet Shop Boys items see the Pet Shop Boys Shop and for artists that the Pet Shop Boys have either written, remixed, produced or performed with, see the Related Artists Shop.
Whilst updating these links I came across an EP download of Electronic's 'Getting Away With It' which was co-written by the Pet Shop Boys and features Neil Tennant. This download contains 5 versions of the track. Buy 'Getting Away With It': Download. The track listing is as follows:

Digital Download EP:
Getting Away With It - 7" Edit
Getting Away With It - Extended Mix
Getting Away With It - Vocal Remix
Getting Away With It - Nude Mix
Getting Away With It - Instrumental

22nd October 2010 - Charity Concert

The Pet Shop Boys are performing a one-off 'Pandemonium Tour' show for the charity Mencap at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Wednesday 8th December 2010. Full details to follow. Search for Pet Shop Boys tickets.

22nd October 2010 - Together First Play Today

Don't forget that the first play of 'Together' will be on BBC Radio 2's Ken Bruce Show between 9.30am and 12pm today. Neil and Chris will be in the studio to present its first radio play.

20th October 2010 - Together CD Track Listing

The Pet Shop Boys release their new single 'Together' on Parlophone Records on Monday 29th November 2010. 'Together' is taken from the new greatest hits album, 'Ultimate' which is released on Monday 1st November 2010.
The formats of 'Together' feature brand new tracks, 'Glad All Over' (a cover version of the early 1960s hit by The Dave Clark Five) and 'I Cried For Us' (a cover version song by the late Kate McGarrigle, mother of Rufus Wainwright). Pre-order 'Together': UK CD1, UK CD2. The track listing is as follows:

CD1 - 2 Track CD (CDR ????):
Together - Radio Mix
Together - Ultrabeat Remix

CD2 - Maxi CD (CDRS ????):
Together - Ultimate Mix
Glad All Over
I Cried For Us
Together - Extended Mix

15th October 2010 - Together On iTunes

'Together', the brand new Pet Shop Boys track, will be available on iTunes as a 1 track download from this Sunday 24th October 2010, two days after its first radio play on BBC Radio 2. It will be automatically set up on iTunes as a "Complete My Album" track/mechanic for those who go on to buy the 'Ultimate' album when it is released a week later. The CD singles and digital bundles of 'Together' will be released on Monday 29th November 2010 as previously announced. Mixes of the track are being completed now. The artwork has been designed by Farrow. A video for 'Together' is being shot in Eastern Europe the week after next.

13th October 2010 - Together On The Radio

The first play of 'Together' will be on BBC Radio 2's Ken Bruce Show between 9.30am and 12pm this Friday 22nd October 2010. Neil and Chris will be in the studio to present its first radio play.

12th October 2010 - My Bad Sister

Sophie and Polly Duniam, who sang and danced on the 'Pandemonium Tour', write and perform under the name My Bad Sister. They've been working on a new album for a year now, they can't wait to finish it and show us all! Chris and Neil had a fun night seeing them play in London last night. Sophie and Polly said, "Thank you so much to the Pet Shop Boys for coming to our gig on monday night in Soho!"
For more information, visit the My Bad Sister MySpace page.

11th October 2010 - Together

The Pet Shop Boys' new single, 'Together', will be released by Parlophone on Monday 29th November 2010 on two CDs and digital download. As well as 'Together' the track listings will include:
'Glad All Over' - a version of the early 1960s hit by The Dave Clark Five which the Pet Shop Boys performed in Chris's home town of Blackpool this summer. The song has become a victory anthem for Blackpool FC which rose to the Premier League this year. This new studio version was arranged and produced by Pet Shop Boys and Tim Powell.
'I Cried For Us' - Neil sang this song by the late Kate McGarrigle, mother of Rufus Wainwright, at her memorial concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London in June in an arrangement by the Pet Shop Boys. Chris and Neil produced this studio version which was mixed by Pete Gleadall.
'Together - Extended Version' - remixed by Tim Powell.
Dance remixes of 'Together' will also be made available.
Full format details will be available when they are finalised. A promotional video for the song is being shot later this month in Eastern Europe. 'Together' was written and produced by the Pet Shop Boys and Tim Powell at the beginning of September and will also be included as the final track of Pet Shop Boys' new greatest hits album, 'Ultimate', which is released on Monday 1st November 2010.

7th October 2010 - My Dad's A Birdman

Neil and Chris have now finished writing the music for the 'My Dad's A Birdman' play. It includes 3 new songs, 'The Dumpling Song' (funny), 'Wings And Faith' (aspirational) and 'Night Song' (beautiful), and several pieces of music to accompany dialogue. They said, "It's been fun writing for a children's play." The hour-long show opens on Thursday 25th November 2010 at the Young Vic theatre in London.
For more information and to book tickets, visit the Young Vic website.

4th October 2010 - Happy Birthday Chris!

So Pet Shop Boys and all the many fans online wish Chris a very warm and happy 51st birthday!

1st October 2010 - USA Premiere Of Closer To Heaven

The USA premiere of the Pet Shop Boys musical, 'Closer To Heaven' opens tonight in Dallas by the Uptown Players at the historic Kalita Humphreys Theater, former home of the Dallas Theater Center. The production runs from Friday 1st October 2010 through to Sunday 24th October 2010, with performances at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays (no matinee Sunday 3rd October 2010). There will be a special Thursday night performance at 8pm on Thursday 21st October 2010. 'Closer To Heaven' opened in London on Tuesday 15th May 2001 and a second production opened in Brisbane, Australia on Wednesday 9th June 2005.
The cast features Morgana Shaw as Billie Trix, Evan Fuller as Dave, Jason Kane as Vic, Lee Jamison Wadley as Shell, Clayton Younkin as Mile End Lee, Coy Covington as Bob Saunders and Mikey Abrams as Flynn, along with an ensemble that includes Michael Albee, Wes Cantrell, Andrew Chard, Stephanie Felton, Maija Johnson, Drew Kelly, Summer Kenny, Kelly McCain, Chris Reynolds, Alexandra Valle, Jason Villarreal and Jeff Walters. The production is under the direction of Bruce R. Coleman, with choreography by John de Los Santos and musical direction by Adam C. Wright.
Performances will take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Boulevard (entrance off Blackburn) in Dallas. Tickets are $30-$40 and can be purchased online or by phone on 214-219-2718.
For more information and to book tickets, visit the Uptown Players website.

21st September 2010 - Ultimate And Together

The track listing for the forthcoming greatest hits album, 'Ultimate' has now been finalised. It includes 25 years of hits from 1985s 'West End Girls' to 2009s 'Love Etc.' and concludes with a new song, 'Together', written and recorded this month. The new song was written and produced with former Xenomania staff member Tim Powell and will also be released as a single. The release date will be announced shortly. 'Ultimate' will be released on Monday 1st November 2010. It was originally proposed by EMI to celebrate 25 years since the release of Pet Shop Boys' first hit, 'West End Girls'. Pre-order 'Ultimate': UK CD/Download, UK Special Edition CD+DVD/Download. The track listing is as follows:

West End Girls
Suburbia
It's A Sin
What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Always On My Mind
Heart
Domino Dancing
Left To My Own Devices
Being Boring
Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
Go West
Before
Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)
New York City Boy
Home And Dry
Miracles
I'm With Stupid
Love Etc.
Together

18th September 2010 - The Young Vic

Neil and Chris are about to start writing some music for a children's play at The Young Vic theatre in London called 'My Dad's A Birdman', by David Almond (author of 'Skellig'). The play is about a Great Human Bird Competition. 'My Dad's a Birdman' will run in the Young Vic's Maria theatre over Christmas. This will be the first time Neil and Chris have collaborated with the Young Vic and their first theatre project for young audiences.
For more information and to book tickets, visit the Young Vic website.

17th September 2010 - Ultimate Special Edition

The special edition of the forthcoming 'Ultimate Pet Shop Boys' compilation includes a DVD with over 3 hours of TV performances by the Pet Shop Boys, released by arrangement with BBC Music. As well as the complete Glastonbury Festival performance from earlier this year, there are 27 performances of singles. Both standard and special editions of 'Ultimate Pet Shop Boys' will be released by Parlophone on Monday 1st November 2010. For the DVD track listing see the 'Ultimate' album page.

13th September 2010 - Ultimate Pet Shop Boys

On Monday 1st November 2010 Parlophone will release 'Ultimate Pet Shop Boys', a "comprehensive greatest hits collection", featuring 19 hit singles in chronological order from 'West End Girls' to 'Love Etc.' The Special Edition version will feature a DVD containing a series of classic TV performances from 'Top Of The Pops' and other shows recorded over the last 25 years as well as Pet Shop Boys' celebrated Glastonbury Saturday night headline show from June which the Daily Telegraph judged to be "one of the most spectacular Glastonbury moments ever". The full track listing will be announced soon.

30th August 2010 - Pandemonium Tour Ends Or Does It

The 'Pandemonium Tour' which began in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June 2009 officially ended on Friday in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, after 88 performances in over 30 countries. However in recent days there have been suggestions that the tour will make it to Australia, Japan and the Far East in 2011.

12th August 2010 - Xacobeo Festival

It has just been announced that the Pet Shop Boys will complete the bill for the Xacobeo 2010 Festival at Monte do Gozo, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on Friday 27th August 2010. This show, not the V Festival as previously announced, is currently the last scheduled show of the 'Pandemonium Tour'.

2nd August 2010 - V Festival

The Pet Shop Boys have travelled back to the UK from Korea after their performance at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival in Korea and are now on holiday. Their next concerts will be at the V Festival in the UK on Saturday 21st August 2010 and Sunday 22nd August 2010 when they will headline the Arena stage. These look set to be the final 'Pandemonium Tour' concerts as no more dates are planned to follow them.

26th July 2010 - Glastonbury Highlights

'Pet Shop Boys At Glastonbury' will be shown on BBC4 on Friday 30th July 2010 at 9.30pm and again on Saturday 31st July 2010 at 1.00am. It's on for an hour and will show highlights from this years festival. Also on BBC4 on Friday at 10.30pm is 'Synth Britannia' featuring artist including, Neil Tennant who discuss the sounds that defined the 80s.

24th July 2010 - Literally Issue 35

It's here, Literally Issue 35 came through my letterbox this morning. To find out what's in it see the Literally page for more details.

10th July 2010 - Happy Birthday Neil!

So Pet Shop Boys and all the many fans online wish Neil a very warm and happy 56th birthday!

4th July 2010 - The Most Incredible Thing

From a press release issued today by Sadler's Wells theatre in London:

"Sadler's Wells is delighted to announce its next new production, a full-length dance work with music by Pet Shop Boys and choreography by Javier De Frutos, featuring Ivan Putrov. Based on a Hans Christian Andersen story, the world famous electronic pop duo, Pet Shop Boys, have composed an original score for their first ever full-length dance work and their first collaboration with Sadler's Wells. Titled The Most Incredible Thing, the production makes its world premiere at Sadler's Wells in Spring 2011. A team of world-class creative collaborators join choreographer/director Javier De Frutos who brings his unique brand of visceral intensity to this modern fairy tale, which celebrates the power of art in the face of human destruction. Pet Shop Boys were introduced to Sadler's Wells over four years ago by The Royal Ballet Principal, Ivan Putrov (seen in photo right at a workshop for the ballet), who asked them to write a ballet score for him. Lowe and Tennant suggested that The Most Incredible Thing would be the perfect narrative basis for a new ballet. Andersen's The Most Incredible Thing was written in 1870 and tells the story of a princess, a kingdom, and of two very different approaches to the task of creating something extraordinary. With its resonant narrative adapted by Matthew Dunster and Pet Shop Boys, design by Katrina Lindsay, and film and animation by BAFTA winner Tal Rosner, this new production is designed on a large scale, featuring a cast of 15, a 26-piece orchestra, and a message of hope that lies at the heart of Andersen's tale." The world premiere production of The Most Incredible Thing will be at Sadler's Wells from March 22nd to March 26th, 2011, preceded by a week of preview performances. Tickets will go on sale in the autumn. After Sadler's Wells, the production will go on tour.

24th June 2010 - UK Support Act

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be joining the Pet Shop Boys as special guest on their final run of UK dates, which will conclude their hugely successful worldwide 'Pandemonium Tour'. Sophie Ellis-Bextor emerged ten years ago when she collaborated with DJ Spiller to produce the smash hit number 1 single 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)'. Now she is back with album number four 'Straight To The Heart' due to be released on Monday 2nd August 2010 on which she worked with an amazing team of writer/producers that includes Freemasons, Greg Kurstin, Calvin Harris, Cathy Dennis, Metronomy, Richard X and Armin Van Buuren.
The Pandemonium show was designed by Es Devlin (who worked on their stunning performance at the Brits in 2009) with choreography by Lynne Page. At the end of last year The Times called it "the ravishing pop spectacle of the year". These dates are your last chance to experience it in UK arenas. The dates are:
Tuesday 13th - Empress Ballroom, Blackpool
Monday 19th - The Brighton Centre, Brighton
Tuesday 20th - Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth
Wednesday 21st - International Arena, Cardiff
Friday 23rd - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Tickets are on sale now. Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.

23rd June 2010 - Ballet Music Preview

A group exhibition entitled 'Room Divider', curated by writer and critic Michael Bracewell, will open to the public on Saturday 3rd July 2010 at the Wilkinson Gallery in London and includes a new piece of music by the Pet Shop Boys. 'The grind 2' is the demo of the piece of music that opens Act 3 of the ballet score which Chris and Neil recently completed. The exhibition "celebrates the relationship between Romanticism and the machine aesthetic".
For more information, visit the Wilkinson Gallery website.
An announcement about the ballet production will be made in a couple of weeks.

17th June 2010 - Glastonbury Festival

The Pet Shop Boys will be performing at the Glastonbury Festival this weekend at Worthy Farm in Pilton, England. Their onstage time on the Other Stage is now confirmed as 10.15pm. You can see them perform live on BBC3 at 10.15pm.

31st May 2010 - Summer 2010 Pandemonium Tour

The Summer 2010 leg of 'Pandemonium Tour' began on Saturday night with a fantastic set at the close of the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, Spain. The audience's energy was amazing and the atmosphere helped Neil get over the food poisoning he'd been suffering from all day, and to give confidence to a new dancer, Helena Dowling, who had replaced Charlotte Walcott (who was unable to rejoin the tour) and was performing for the first time with Neil and Chris. The tour continues on Wednesday 23rd June 2010 at Castello Visconteo in Pavia, Italy then moves onto the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday 26th June 2010. For all the Pet Shop Boys' tour dates see the Tour Dates page.

28th May 2010 - Happy Birthday So Pet Shop Boys!

So Pet Shop Boys is 10 years old today!

20th May 2010 - Taiwan And Korea

The Pet Shop Boys have announced that they will be performing for the first time in Taiwan and Korea. On Thursday 29th July 2010 at the Twinkle Rock Festival in Taipei, Taiwan and on Saturday 31st July 2010 at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival in Icheon City, Korea. For all the Pet Shop Boys' tour dates see the Tour Dates page.

27th April 2010 - Italy

The Pet Shop Boys have announced that they are playing their only Italian date of the 'Pandemonium Tour' on Wednesday 23rd June 2010 at the Castello Visconteo in Pavia (35km south of Milan). For all the Pet Shop Boys' tour dates see the Tour Dates page.

17th April 2010 - Record Store Day

The Pet Shop Boys release a limited edition seven-inch vinyl single for Record Store Day, today. Side A features 'Love Life', the Pet Shop Boys' hitherto unreleased 2001 recording of a song which became a hit for the Swedish group Alcazar. Side B has 'A Powerful Friend', recorded in 2002 and never released before, which features 'Release Tour' guitarists Bic Hayes and Mark Refoy.
The record is one of a series of limited seven-inch vinyl records Parlophone is releasing to support this year's UK Record Store Day, including a new single by Blur and Tinie Tempah's number one single 'Pass Out'. Each release is limited to 1,000 and exclusive to the independent record shops taking part. Neil Tennant comments, "Independent record stores play a vital role in selling music from the fringe as well as the mainstream. We're delighted to be releasing a one-off vinyl single only available in independent shops as part of Record Store Day."
A list of participating UK stores can be found on the Record Store Day website.

16th April 2010 - Glastonbury Festival

The Pet Shop Boys will be headlining the Other Stage at this years Glastonbury Festival on Saturday 26th June 2010. The Pet Shop Boys last appeared at Glatonbury in 2000.
A full line up can be found on the Glastonbury Festivals website.

14th April 2010 - Lady Gaga Remix

Lady Gaga's 'Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) - Pet Shop Boys Remix' will appear on Lady Gaga's album, 'The Remix', which will be released on Monday 10th May 2010. Pre-order 'The Remix': UK CD.

20th March 2010 - Pandemonium USA

'Pandemonium Live' will be released in the USA by Astralwerks this Tuesday 23rd March 2010. The double-disc package is identical to the British release with the same bonus features. Buy 'Pandemonium Live': USA CD+DVD.

18th March 2010 - The Ballet

Neil and Chris have finished writing the music for Act One of the ballet today.

11th March 2010 - More Festivals

The Pet Shop Boys are pleased to announce that they will be among the headliners at three more European festivals this summer:
Thursday 8th July 2010 - Balaton Sound Festival, Lake Balaton, Hungary
Saturday 10th July 2010 - Tollwood Festival, Munich, Germany
Friday 16th July 2010 - Super Bock Rock Festival, herdade Cabeço da Flauta, Portugal
The Pet Shop Boys 'Pandemonium Tour' will be making its debut in Hungary and Portugal and Tollwood will be the only German date of the summer. For all the Pet Shop Boys' tour dates see the Tour Dates page.

8th March 2010 - UK Chart

This week in the album chart 'Pandemonium Live' went out of the top 100.

1st March 2010 - V Festival

The Pet Shop Boys will be among the headliners at this years V Festival. They will be closing the evening in The Arena at Weston Park, Staffordshire, on Saturday 21st August, and Hylands Park, Chelmsford, Essex, on Sunday 22nd August. The summer spectacular, held across two sites and two days will be "crammed with the hottest names in music", including main stage headliners, Kings of Leon and Kasabian, and 4 Music stage headliners, The Prodigy and David Guetta. Festival Director, Simon Moran comments, "We expect excitement levels will reach new heights in The Arena which will be jam packed with Pet Shop Boys and Cheryl Cole closing each night." Other artists performing in this very eclectic festival include Florence and the Machine, Groove Armada, Madness, Goldfrapp, Mika, Editors and Faithless.

1st March 2010 - UK Chart

This week in the album chart 'Pandemonium Live' went down 63 places to number 92.

26th February 2010 - Nottingham Splendour

On Saturday 24th July 2010 the Pet Shop Boys will be headlining the Splendour Festival in Wollaton Park, Nottingham, England. This is the third year of the Splendour Festival which last year featured a line-up including Madness and The Pogues. Tickets go on sale today, with discounts for Nottingham city residents. Prices are: £15 for City residents, £10 for City residents aged 11-17, and £30 for non-City residents. (Residents must provide proof of City address.) Under 11s have free admission. The full festival line-up will be announced shortly.

22nd February 2010 - UK Chart

This week 'Pandemonium Live' entered the album chart at number 29.

18th February 2010 - New UK Tour Dates

The Pet Shop Boys are very pleased to announce a new run of UK dates bringing their 'Pandemonium Tour' to areas of the UK not visited last year in July 2010. The dates are:
Tuesday 13th - Empress Ballroom, Blackpool
Monday 19th - The Brighton Centre, Brighton
Tuesday 20th - Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth
Wednesday 21st - International Arena, Cardiff
Friday 23rd - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 19th February 2010. Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.

17th February 2010 - Primavera Sound Festival

The Pet Shop Boys have been confirmed as the headliners of the Primavera Sound 2010 festival in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday 29th May 2010 which will be their first concert of the year.
Primavera Sound has six outdoor stages and one of the biggest auditoriums in Europe. With events throughout Barcelona for the week surrounding the festival, it has been described as, "more like a massive summer party than the usual festival". The huge festival line-up includes The Pixies, Pavement, The XX, Liquid Liquid, The Fall and Grizzly Bear.

16th February 2010 - The One Show

Chris and Neil will be guests on 'The One Show' tomorrow night at 7pm on BBC1 in the UK.

16th February 2010 - Pandemonium Release Dates

The 'Pandemonium' DVD/CD is now released in most countries but EMI has given provided a list of countries with a later release date:
Australia: Friday 26th February 2010
France: Monday 1st March 2010
Mexico: Tuesday 9th March 2010
USA: Tuesday 23rd March 2010

15th February 2010 - Out Today

Don't forget that 'Pandemonium Live, The O2 Arena, London, 21 December 2009' (that's the full title) double-pack DVD and CD is released in the UK today. The DVD includes the full Pandemonium show filmed by David Barnard who directed the 'Cubism' DVD. The sound has been mixed for DVD by Dave Woolley. There are also seven DVD extra features: 'My Girl - Live At the O2' and 'It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas - Live At the O2'; the music videos for 'Love Etc.', 'Did You See Me Coming?' and 'All Over The World'; the complete 2009 Brits Awards performance, featuring Lady Gaga and Brandon Flowers; and an audio commentary by the Pet Shop Boys and stage designer Es Devlin. The CD includes 17 songs from the show (the full show is too long to fit on a single CD) and has been mixed by Stuart Price. Buy 'Pandemonium Live': UK CD+DVD.

2nd February 2010 - Pandemonium In A Fans Living Room

The Brit Awards have been sponsored by Mastercard for the last 12 years and to celebrate 30 years of the Brits they recently sponsored a competition for a member of the British public to win a Brit Award winner playing live in their very own living room.
The winner, Lorraine Sands, a Project Manager from Twickenham, received the surprise of her life when the Pet Shop Boys turned up on her doorstep. Neil and Chris, who received the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the 2009 Brit Awards, recreated part of their spectacular 'Pandemonium Tour' production live in Lorraine's living room, performing, 'Suburbia', 'All Over The World', 'It's A Sin' and 'West End Girls'.
Neil said, "Reproducing part of our tour in someone's living room was surreal but very good fun. The whole point of it was to recreate an arena production, or elements of it anyway, in the intimate environment of a living room."
Footage from this show will be turned into a series of idents during the 2010 Brit Awards which will be broadcast live on ITV1 on Tuesday 16th February 2010.

1st February 2010 - Oxfam Haiti Auction

The Vinyl Factory limited edition of 'Yes' which was actioned to raise funds for Oxfam's emergency response in Haiti made £3,100.

23rd January 2010 - Vote For The Pet Shop Boys

Tonight at 10pm, ITV1 will broadcast 'The Brits Hits 30' which celebrates three decades of the Brit Awards by showing some memorable performances from the last 30 years. You can then vote for your favourite performance. In the competition will be Pet Shop Boys' 1994 performance of 'Go West' with two Welsh miners choirs and the show tonight will also include an interview with Neil and Chris.
The voting will be opened during the show. Vote for the Pet Shop Boys, on the ITV website. The winner will be announced at the Brit Awards on Tuesday 16th February 2010.

22nd January 2010 - PSB Item In Oxfam Haiti Auction

The charity Oxfam has today launched an auction of music memorabilia which will raise funds for Oxfam's emergency response in Haiti. It includes a copy of the Vinyl Factory limited edition of 'Yes' which was recently rated the number one 21st Century Collectible Product in 'Record Collector' magazine's annual round-up. This copy (from the PSB's archive) is one of only 300 made by the Vinyl Factory and designed by Farrow. The complete edition sold out in 72 hours when it was released in Spring 2009.
The bespoke artwork comprises a hand-made box with gold mounted metal tick containing the album's eleven tracks pressed on eleven super-heavyweight 200-gram vinyl records, with exclusive b-side instrumentals, housed in eleven specially coloured sleeves. The box also houses a twelfth sleeve, which contains a fine art print, signed and numbered by the Pet Shop Boys, plus a credit sheet.
To bid for this piece of Pet Shop Boys memorabilia, visit eBay.

18th January 2010 - Record Collector

In the February 2010 issue of 'Record Collector' magazine, on sale now, there's a feature on, 50 21st Century Collectables. The Pet Shop Boys are at number 1, with The Vinyl Factory lavish art boxed vinyl edition of 'Yes'.

14th January 2010 - Pandemonium Live DVD/CD

'Pandemonium Live, The O2 Arena, London, 21 December 2009' is the full title of live double-pack DVD and CD which will be released by Parlophone on Monday 15th February 2010 (international release dates will vary slightly). The DVD includes the full Pandemonium show filmed by David Barnard who directed the 'Cubism' DVD. The sound has been mixed for DVD by Dave Woolley. There are also seven DVD extra features: 'My Girl - Live At the O2' and 'It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas - Live At the O2'; the music videos for 'Love Etc.', 'Did You See Me Coming?' and 'All Over The World'; the complete 2009 Brits Awards performance, featuring Lady Gaga and Brandon Flowers; and an audio commentary by the Pet Shop Boys and stage designer Es Devlin. The CD includes 17 songs from the show (the full show is too long to fit on a single CD) and has been mixed by Stuart Price. Pre-order 'Pandemonium Live': UK CD+DVD.

3rd January 2010 - UK Chart

This week in the singles chart 'It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas' went out of the top 100.

1st January 2010 - Happy New Year!

What will the Pet Shop Boys be up to in 2010? Keep up to date by regularly checking back here.
All the best for 2010.