Skip to navigation Skip to content

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

1987

The Pet Shop Boys perform ‘It’s a Sin’ on Top of the Pops.

1994

Blur’s ‘Girls & Boys’ single, featuring the Pet Shop Boys’ radio edit remix, debuts on the U.S. singles chart, beginning a 15-week run that peaks at #59.

2009

The Boys perform in Berlin.

2010

Chris and Neil spend the afternoon and evening as attendees at the Glastonbury Festival, where they will perform the following evening. They watch a number of artists’ sets, including Willie Nelson (who sang, among other things, ‘Always On My Mind’), Gorillaz, and Groove Armada.

2012

The official PSB website announces that the first single from the upcoming album Elysium is titled ‘Winner’ and will be premiered on radio July 2. Meanwhile, Neil attends a performance this evening of Blur member Damon Albarn’s new opera Dr Dee at the London Coliseum, after which he goes to an after-party at the Asia de Cuba restaurant at St Martins Lane Hotel.

2014

Neil and Chris resume work on a song titled ‘Will You Love Me?’ that they had started two days before.

2015

The ‘2015 leg’ of the Electric Tour comes to Rome this evening.

2017

They perform this evening in Hannover, the first of five successive Super Tour shows in Germany.

2025

Pet Shop Boys are among the performers at a special fundraising gala at London’s Tate Modern Museum.