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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.

History

On this day

2000

Chris continues working on the music for ‘Nine Out of Ten.’

2002

The Boys’ appearance on the U.K. TV show Later… with Jools Holland, taped two days earlier, airs on this date.

2005

They record new vocals for ‘The Resurrectionist’ and rework ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain,’ slowing the rhythm track down somewhat.

2011

‘Together’ is released as a digital single in the U.S.—roughly five months after it was released in the U.K. and various other countries. On this same day, Chris composes music and Neil writes lyrics for a new song, ‘Everything Means Something.’

2014

The Pet Shop Boys make the first of their two scheduled appearances at this year’s Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California. (To get there they first had to drive through a desert sandstorm.) Billboard gives PSB a glowing review, stating, ‘The duo may have fulfilled the role of elder statesmen for the day (no band on Saturday’s lineup has been around longer than the ’80s innovators), but PSB’s recent material packed an energetic punch that could have stood next to any of the younger acts on the bill.’

2024

Neil appears as a surprise guest vocalist onstage with Johnny Marr and his band at Hammersmith Apollo in London, singing on a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Rebel Rebel’ as well as the Electronic classic ‘Getting Away with It.’ Interestingly, Neil adds some new lyrics to the latter song.