On May 2 the Pet Shop Boys appear at Heaven nightclub in London, playing a four song set as part of Can You Bear It?, a benefit for Dainton Connell’s family. For the final song they are joined by Suggs and Carl from Madness, in rambunctious high spirits, to perform a dance version of Madness’s “My Girl”: “It was a very emotional night”.
On October 27 a Pet Shop Boys-produced single by the British artist Sam Taylor-Wood, “I’m in love with a German film star”, is released on the cult German dance label Kompakt. It is the Pet Shop Boys’ third collaboration with Sam Taylor-Wood though the previous one was released under the pseudonym Kiki Kokova. The song is an electronic reinterpretation of the 1981 single by the Passions, a suggestion of Neil’s.
This year’s annual Christmas single from the Killers — “Joseph (Better You Than Me)” — is originally planned as a collaboration between The Killers and Elton John. Neil gets involved after Brandon Flowers asks for help with the lyric; in the end Neil’s short section of guide vocal for the lyric he contributes will remain in the final song when it is made available for download.
The Boys are in Neil’s home studio, where they resume work on an old track that will ultimately evolve into ‘The Night I Fell in Love.’
The Pet Shop Boys are among the artists who have donated items for an online charity auction to raise money for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti ten days before. Chris and Neil have donated a copy of their highly collectible (and very expensive) special 11-disc vinyl edition of Yes.
The Pet Shop Boys make a surprise appearance performing at the Prada ‘Spring/Summer 2011 Fashion Show and Special Event’ at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.
They’re spending much of the month planning and working on their upcoming Electric Tour. Today they develop a new version of their old song ‘I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)’ for the show.
The limited series It’s a Sin debuts on U.K. television this evening. Not only does it borrow its title from the PSB hit, but it also stars Olly Alexander, whose band Years & Years had collaborated with PSB on the song ‘Dreamland.’ To coincide with the debut of the series, a new remake of ‘It’s a Sin’ by Years & Years is released today.