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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.

On this day

1995

Chris and Neil begin work on ‘Up Against It.’

2002

They perform at Wolverhampton, U.K.

2007

Following a two-week break from performing, the Boys resume their summer concert schedule at Villa Arconati in Milan—their first Italian show in five years. Among the concert-goers is the Romanian opera star Angela Gheorghiu, who had sung at La Scala the night before.

2009

A PSB interview with Dermot O’Leary runs this afternoon on BBC Radio 2. And this evening the Boys perform at the Dour Festival in Belgium.

2011

With Robbie Williams recovered from his recent bout of food poisoning, Take That and PSB perform this evening in Amsterdam.

2014

The Electric Tour comes to Pori, Finland.

2017

Six years to the day since their previous appearance in Amsterdam, the Pet Shop Boys perform tonight in that city’s Koninklijk Theater Carré.

2018

They appear in concert at the Starlite Festival in Marbella, Spain.

2024

They perform at the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland. (There’s obviously more than just jazz at the Pori Jazz Festival.)