Wearing masks that are part 8-bit alien part Donnie Darko – in what is surely one of the most visibly recognisable configurations in Pop – Neil Tennant, vocalist, and conduit into the heart of the PET SHOP BOYS appears on stage, with Chris Lowe to the left of him behind a keyboard stand that resembles a spaceship console. From behind his perma-fixed sunglasses he powers the great pop juggernaut from ‘Suburbia’ through the dimensions into a Dreamworld of the band’s 40 year hit spanning career.
With the masks removed, revealing the familiar human faces behind the music, Tennant addresses the sold-out crowd, explaining that all the songs played tonight are singles, many of them hits and some perhaps “maybe hits in people’s imaginations”. What follows is a PSB set that not only traverses the decades encompassing their 15-album collection, but one that also brings to the fore in spectacular, sensory splendour every aspect of their modus operandi.
‘Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)’, their cover of U2’s ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ and 80’s gem ‘Rent’ with images of the duo in their early years splashed on screen are some of the songs reeled off early, the whole experience ramped up a notch by the addition of their band. Tennant is both vocalist and compere on this fantastic journey, anecdotally introducing songs (the victory dance that spawned ‘Domino Dancing’, the story behind ‘Jealousy’, the first song they wrote as a duo) setting out a chronology. His multiple outfit changes complement the style and era of the tracks – from dapper suits to reflective coats and back again, for an encore that brings ‘West End Girls’ 80’s synth noir alive.
The whole performance is expertly choreographed. Tracks like the downtempo ‘A New Bohemia’ from their current album “Nonetheless” luxuriates in its own neon ambiance, as Tennant walks slowly across the stage. Other songs suddenly appear from out of the fabric of the previous – the Latin groove of ‘Se a vida é (That’s the Way Life Is)’ shuffles its way out of ‘Single-Bilingual’. The hi-NRG synth pop of ‘Heart’ bursts out from the contemplative ‘Dreamland, ‘Domino Dancing’ pirouettes into ‘Dancing Star’ another single from their latest album. Lights flash, shapes shift on screen, monochrome images mix in nostalgia. The genesis of these tracks might be decades apart, yet when played out live it is obvious that they all share the same DNA.
For the majority of the songs there is a fair proportion of the audience who know all the lyrics. This reaches its apex on ‘Always On My Mind’ where Tennant just has to stand back and let the arena sing for him. Though the biggest audience reaction comes at the climatic end of the set. The intensity of the flaming visuals which accompany ‘Vocal’ from their 2013 album “Electric” gives way to an infectious groove that crescendos and explodes into the euphoric synth chords of ‘It’s A Sin’. A track almost four decades old, born out of a time of ignorance and fear, yet still having the power to incite so much joy. Like the performance itself, a triumph.