Pet Shop Boys

As a kid of the 80s, the Pet Shop Boys were one of those bands that were always there. They came on the scene with West End Girls and made a massive impression with this cool, moody song that had so much depth. The understated, introspective and mysterious demeanour of the band was quite fascinating. My music taste developed and changed as it does for all of us, I can never claim to have been a massive Pet Shop Boys fan, but they have always been there in the background banging out the odd cracking tune.

Fast Forward a few decades (let's not count) and they're playing Eden. We can't turn down this opportunity to check out their live show, we arrive with a mix of intrigue and excitement. This isn't a reunion, this band have never split up, they must know what they're doing, right?

The Eden Sessions are usually sending people up the hill by 10.30, not tonight. Pet Shop Boys have got them to extend their licence so they can play most of their set in the dark, and rightly so At 9.30 they come onto the stage, and stand under a couple of lamp posts with, from what we can work out some kitchen spatulas or similar implements strapped to their heads. They are of course actually sophisticated face masks and keep the intrigue there for a few songs before they get discarded in one of the multiple costume changes tonight.

Suburbia is the first song, soon after, Opportunities, Where the Streets Have No Name, followed by the fantastic, Rent. This is a singles tour,, and we suddenly realise we know pretty much every song. The guys are backed by a video screen that takes up the whole stage, the performance is minimal as you would expect. Chris the master of inactivity whilst remaining ice cool, and Neil commands the stage with his presence, confidence, deadpan delivery and massive white boots.

The performance is faultless. The simple stage set remains the same until about half an hour in, from Left to My Own Devices onwards there are multiple set changes, staircases appear and disappear. Various backdrops morph and change. Costumes are switched. Backing musicians and singers come and go. What remains the same, is the quality and professionalism of these musicians.

One of my favourites here was Love Comes Quickly. For the length of the song, Neil simply but effectively, to a dark back drop walks from left to right of the stage for the duration of the song. You probably have to be there to appreciate the subtlety.

Neil told us his story of him, Chris and a friend who holidayed in St Lucia with little more to do to keep them amused than play Dominoes. The guy used to always win and then do a little dance - Domino Dancing. True or not, it doesn't really matter. He's full of little quips and witticisms all night. He looks happy and pleased to be here sharing his bounty of classics. Chris just looks bored, that's how we want him to look.

Other highlights of the main set were Heart, What Have I Done To Deserve This, and the ever thought-provoking You Were Always on My Mind. The whole night was filled with "oh, I remember this one" moments. Set closer, It's a Sin, Pet Shop Boys most dramatic and Powerful song was stunning. Neil parades around the stage belting out this all time classic, and at the end joins Chris on the podium where he's been nonchalantly been playing his keyboard.

They leave us wanting one more song. We kind of know we'll get it, but the anticipation is still there. They come back on and stand under their allocated lamp posts, both wearing their classic 80's outfits, Chris in jeans, grey hoody and of course his BOY baseball cap. Neil in his full-length black trench coat. Style and substance in full attendance. The backdrop flicks up images of the younger Pet Shop Boys during the moody rap pf West End Girls. A perfect end to a pretty perfect show. We get one more song to finish the evening off.

I'm surprised just how much I enjoyed this. Sometimes those are the best gigs. This band are in their fifth decade of entertainment, and as they tell us in the final song of the night, they were never Being Boring.


Setlist


Suburbia
Can You Forgive Her?
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
Rent
I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More
So Hard
Left to My Own Devices
Single-Bilingual / Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)
Domino Dancing
Monkey Business
New York City Boy
Jealousy
Love Comes Quickly
Paninaro
You Were Always on My Mind
Dreamland
Heart
What Have I Done to Deserve This?
It's Alright
Vocal
Go West
It's a Sin

West End Girls
Being Boring