On February 28 the Pet Shop Boys begin a short, four-concert Russian tour, visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg, inspired by their visit to St. Petersburg to see Brian Eno the previous summer. In Moscow they perform twice in one night, once in a large arena then later in the middle of an over-crowded nightclub. The local media ask them whether they speak Russian, “We’re very good at saying ‘nyet’,” they explain.
On April 13, Twentieth Century Blues: The Songs of Noel Coward is released. It is an album of Noel Coward songs covered by contemporary musicians, co-compiled by Neil, who has been working on it for the past eighteen months. He has loved Noel Coward’s music since he first heard it in about 1970. “I think as a songwriter he’s slightly underrated,” Neil says, “simply because his plays are so famous, and people forget.” The Pet Shop Boys do a version of “Sail Away”, and amongst the other interpreters are Elton John, Paul McCartney, Suede, Robbie Williams and the Divine Comedy. “We tried to choose artists,” Neil explains, “who somehow seem to be in the Noel Coward tradition of wit, theatrically and style.” To promote the album, Neil appeared along on TFI Friday where he sang along with a busker playing Pet Shop Boys songs on an acoustic guitar.
At the request of their former American record company, the Pet Shop Boys agreed to the release of ‘Essential Pet Shop Boys’, a compilation of early Pet Shop Boys songs recorded between 1985 — 1990, including a number of rare remixes, as part of a series of limited edition CDs by other artists.
At the behest of director Gus Van Sant, the Pet Shop Boys wrote a new song, with Tom Stephan, at extremely short notice for the soundtrack of Van Sant’s remake of ‘Psycho’. It is called “Screaming”. “It’s about an obsessive fan, written from the obsessive fan’s point of view,” Neil says. “Or actually just by someone obsessed with someone who doesn’t love them.”
Neil and Chris begin two days of filming for the video of ‘I Don’t Know What You Want But I Can’t Give It Any More.’
For the second time in less than two weeks, the Pet Shop Boys perform at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. In attendance at tonight’s show are Kylie Minogue as well as Tim Rice-Oxley from the band Keane.
The Boys report on their official website that this evening they attended the live premiere of the duo Nero’s Dubstep Symphony at the new BBC Media City in Salford. It’s performed by Nero with the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Joe Duddell, who collaborated with Nero on the composition.
The Boys perform the first of three consecutive nights’ shows in Sydney, Australia.
Traveling in Spain from the previous day’s gig in Badajoz to the following day’s show in Pamplona, Neil and Chris stop at Valladolid for the night. Writing on their official website, Neil says that he ‘enjoyed wandering around the old city.’
At the request of the director of My Beautiful Laundrette, the Boys create a ‘darker version’ of ‘Johnny’s Theme.’ They title the new track ‘Johnny’s Dark Side.’
They perform this evening in Madrid in what Neil later describes as ‘a beautiful little theatre.’
Pet Shop Boys perform this evening at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.