Who
Pet Shop Boys
Support
Dave Pearce
Where
Birmingham Utilita Arena
When
8th June 2024
Price
£95.00
Who with
No-one
Position
Seated, towards the right
Comments
28 years after being intrigued by Before and Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) and 15 years after first having the pleasure of seeing them live, I returned to see the Pet Shop Boys at Birmingham NIA, which was where I first saw them in 2009 before a pandemic-postponed visit to see them at the inconvenient NEC, and I am required to say fuck their new names, as I print them above for information but no-one sensible will keep calling the venues by the names of the latest sponsor. This is a much better location for all concerned, and it was my first time at the venue since Alan Partridge in 2022, or Manic Street Preachers in 2018 for my last musical concert. I had been tempted by the concept of seeing Pet Shop Boys in Aberdeen but it didn't quite fit in and I planned my Scotland holiday around Half Man Half Biscuit in Edinburgh instead. So it was a relief that these dates were announced and I could come back for more, helping to offset my fairly slow start for shows in 2024. I naturally got my ticket immediately, forking out over £100 for better seats than last time. It claimed to be £95 but an insane £15.10 of fees were added on, and somebody needs to clamp down on this nonsense like Biden is doing in America. I was a little taken by surprise when the tickets were posted to me just before the show. I hadn't heard any Pet Shop Boys at all really apart from a few songs on my phone the night before, but I was busily planning and had purchased a ticket to Gruff Rhys at Birmingham Town Hall in November, and also The Flaming Lips at the Academy in April 2025. Alongside Harry Hill, Rob Beckett and Jack Dee I was putting together an impressive line-up of shows to enjoy in 2025 over six months before the occasion even arises.

I'd also booked August and September holidays around Canterbury and Newcastle/Edinburgh respectively to complement my forthcoming thrilling visit to watch Kraftwerk in Vienna before heading onto Budapest, and even though 2024 was continuing the tradition of being a cursed year for me in many ways, I was trying to rise above it and enjoy myself. This show was on a Saturday night and I had a big evening out the night before in Brum, enjoying Indian street food at Indico in the Mailbox followed by mandatory cake at Cherry Reds. Wisely I was insistent on not having a late night as the risk of ruining the show was just not worth it. Also I had plans for Stafford Food Festival and a viewing of Bad Boys 4 on the Sunday, so it certainly was a busy weekend for me. On one hand I keep saying I should do more things and see more people, but then I realise how busy I am anyway and that phones work both ways and I shouldn't have to instigate every plan. After the night in Birmingham I experienced the worst McDonald's breakfast wrap I'd yet experienced, but got the joy of getting to order a Skittles McFlurry AT THE SAME TIME to wash it down, combining the glory of the (only good thing on the) breakfast menu with a wonderful ice cream. Also I had the misfortune of hearing Toploader and Adele in quick succession, but I trust the people who put those records on have since been executed accordingly? As I was going back from Birmingham then home again then back I purchased a daytripper ticket, but then missed my train by a few minutes after it was teasingly delayed until departing just before I reached the platform. I had lost my daytripper by the time I got to Wolves and so had to buy another ticket, deciding to minimise the financial hit by pre-buying a super off peak ticket for the evening. This annoyance meant that I couldn't get a bus back and had to wait in Wolves for the next train, and I'm a bit floored now I'm typing this up that this amount of bad luck and shit somehow wasn't getting me down.

Also to rub it in some more the train timetable had been changed to become wildly more inconvenient, randomly rerouting the service to go through the slower Walsall route and also reducing the frequency to rub it in some more. Given the persistently poor and incompetent service of the railways these past few years, I am not impressed and I pray for the day driverless trains allow for cheaper and more efficient timetables and we aren't let down or held to ransom by greedy and overpaid train drivers. I made the most of the extra time by finishing up my re-read of Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography, and when I got home I tidied up before heading out again. I'd already planned an outing between my morning and evening trips to Brum, visiting Wellington for its Midsummer fair and a chance to finally go inside the church. I'd been following them on social media for years to ensure that I didn't miss this but the one and only event of the year that saw them open for sightseeing and visits was the one and only event that they didn't mention in their otherwise meticulously maintained online calendar! Due to the pandemic and clashes with other activities I hadn't been able to visit the church, and it was only in studying the small print of the Midsummer fair advertising that I realised the church would be open and so long as I avoided the morning events I'd be fine. The day was sunny but a little chilly and I parked up in Wellington without an issue, and although initially busy from an earlier event, the church emptied out gradually and I got to explore at long last. As a bonus I even got to go up to the balcony where all the impressive stained glass was hidden, and also enjoyed a glimpse in the bell tower of the bell ringing demonstrations. After a failed attempt to visit the church in 2016 when the doors had been slammed shut for an event and they didn't want to let me visit after it, it was great to cross this church off my list in such style.

I saw a bit of a parade around Wellington and wandered a little but I was keen to move on, not even wanting to stay for ice cream or a bit more of a wander around the actual fair. I'd seen what I wanted so I next drove to Bishops Wood to visit their equally elusive church. I'd been following their village group for a year or so after noting that it was the one place that advertised church openings, and they had a habit of opening up for a couple of hours every month or two. This time it was convenient but I was a little unsure if I would find it effectively closed for an unannounced activity or too full of people to enjoy. However this also was a great success, as there were a few people outside tending the garden and the lady gave me a brief introduction then left me be to look inside the church and photograph and see everything to my hearts content. It was lovely, and then I came back home and watched Heart Of Darkness, an Apocalypse Now documentary I'd been intending to watch for many years, which had been screened on Film4 the evening before. Things of course were going much too smoothly so the trains fucked themselves up and I was left with little choice but to drive into Wolves for an onward service. I got petrol ok but Slim Chickens in Sainsburys was randomly closed (at tea time on a Saturday!) so I ventured for a revisit to Burger & Sauce instead, comforted by the fact that they had some nice food and not just burgers. Wolves was surprisingly busy due to a Pride event and roads were blocked off accordingly. It was also still sunny but I felt a bit smug that I was going to be seeing a band who are The Beatles of Pride acts, plus they're actually gay unlike many of the groups on the bandwagon. Sometimes it feels like the only prerequisite for being a successful gay band is being shit, and that is so wrong and frustrating as it just doesn't have to be that way.

At Burger & Sauce I enjoyed a wrap with loaded fries and mozzarella sticks, but I couldn't shake the feeling that their menu wasn't as good as before. I may mix it up and visit KFC or German Donor Kebab in Wolverhampton's new mini food quarter, if it's possible to call a gathering of six or so fast food chain restaurants that. I also was writing loads of notes on my phone as I was very conscious that I had a busy week ahead of me and would actually be seeing The Searchers at their possible last show ever just five days after this. These extensive notes are perhaps too thorough as it has allowed me to write all this meaningless pre-gig summary, but I like to have the fullest possible record of the event. I got the slow train into Birmingham, saving an extra can of Coke to mitigate the likelihood that I'd feel thirsty on arrival. Birmingham was very busy and doors had opened at 6pm for a declared start time of 7.15pm. I was 20 minutes or so later than this thanks to my slow arrival but I got in without any hassle and made my way to the right of the venue and all the way to the seat I'd paid over £100 for. And I got in and I couldn't believe my eyes - I was so far to the right that it would make Nigel Farage blush, and my seat had quite restrictive views at a brutal angle to the stage. I felt cheated but in the end I enjoyed myself enough that I didn't think it reasonable to complain, although I cannot forget that in 2009 I'd seen the Pet Shop Boys at the same venue and paid over £33 for what in the end was a front row standing position. I know that inflation has happened, but for the price to triple in 15 years is insane as the profile of the band has increased a bit but they were already pretty much national treasures in 2009 as it was. I was on an aisle seat which was convenient for exiting but it meant that I had to keep letting people past, and also it made me very aware that everyone to my left was enjoying incrementally better views than me. Thankfully as the show wore on and the production opened up I did feel happier about my position, but it's still a real nerve to be charging so much for a restricted side view and is the strongest possible argument in favour of standing concerts.

Support act Dave Pearce was already onstage, which itself was a downgrade from the first time I'd watched Pet Shop Boys and they'd had Bad Lieutenant supporting, who as half of New Order were able to play the glorious Love Will Tear Us Apart. A DJ wasn't especially welcome and was on a par with Pet Shop Boys having no support at all - which had been the case two years ago. Dave was 60 years old and wearing a baseball cap and trying to "get us going" but what was the point? DJing is for clubs, in a music venue it is just someone playing the records of others. He was doing it in a more compelling way than typical pre-gig DJing of course, and I shot one good quality video of what may have been a tune I knew but I can't recognise it now. He had a small setup with just his name swirling on a screen with Windows Media Player style graphics and he was trying to get us to clap. My video made me feel closer to the action than I realised, and certainly the position was a little better in terms of being physically nearer the acts. The two lamp posts for the main set were already to the side of him, and the fact that I could barely see his video screen due to the side-on view was the main reason for my initial frustration at my restricted seat. I could at least glimpse the Pet Shop Boys production that was hidden behind the screen, and Dave was shameless in telling us to "make some noise" and in shouting out to the Pet Shop Boys. The generic dance music improved thanks to Children by Robert Miles and then Insomnia by Faithless, but in the end what's the point? A guy being there trying to hype us up and take credit for songs that he did not write or perform actually achieved the opposite effect of making me want to not get into it. Okay I was probably grumpier than I should have been, and I also was feeling a little thirsty but not quite enough to make the pretty easy exit to try and get myself a drink. Dave said that there would be a 15 minute break before the Pet Shop Boys were due onstage, and they were due at 8.35pm and arrived 5 minutes after that.

A probably Ukraine flag was displayed on the screen before the band came onstage and I chatted to the fans to my left who had shocked me by being nice enough to say hi as I walked in. They were older than I first thought but had never seen the Pet Shop Boys live despite being fans since West End Girls. It also made me think that this was still the Dreamworld tour and that Pet Shop Boys had prepared for this in 2020 before postponing it twice during the pandemic. So in effect they were still touring the same show over four years after it had been conceived! However it's a winning production and I had been very happy to come back for more, and given the abundance of hits on offer I can totally understand the lack of urgency to refresh and change the set. Pet Shop Boys appeared exactly as I expected in a low key fashion to perform Suburbia, as I shot a couple of videos to capture the moment. I recorded them coming onstage and noted Chris had "sung" the "sooner or later" introduction. It was minimalist with black and white lights and there was a roar as the guys appeared from under the screen and stepped forward in time with the intro music. Neil's voice immediately sounded as wonderful as always, and I shot up until the first chorus, as my video came into focus beautifully. I shot my first of four secondary videos on my phone later during the song and the sound was better than I expected, but the picture quality was fuzzy. The band were wearing white lab coats and insane head gear, and this is the point I probably should say that as the set is largely the same as last time that I perhaps don't need to repeat all the details. The moment the guys appeared onstage everyone stood up and the mood immediately lifted, but that's the thing with quality music - there is no need to have beer to enjoy yourself if the entertainment is good enough!

Next up was Can You Forgive Her? and I shot another video, capturing Chris on the side screen. As I was on the right hand side I later realised that at moments Neil was on the left screen and Chris on the right, but the steep angle prevented me from seeing the far screen. It sounded lovely and the black and white visuals continued. I noted Chris had a laptop perched above his keyboards but I doubt that he had the time to be controlling the visuals himself. At least not much. After Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) was Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You), and the excitement levels increased in alignment with the excess of brackets in the song titles! Neil had removed his mask and was clapping and encouraging us to join in. I shot another winning video and the show was now building up. Last time it had been a lovely surprise but this time Rent was an expected delight, as my video captured fans (possibly me) doing a "ba ba ba" along with the keyboards and now there was a proper backdrop video of the band in their 1980s configuration. It's only now I check that I see Pet Shop Boys had played I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More last time also, and I've got to say I enjoyed So Hard more this time. I shot a video of the returning black and white videos and captured great quality on the zoom. It's still not one of my top tunes but I'm starting to appreciate it at last. The structure of the show remained unchanged and again Left To My Own Devices was the big moment where the screen was lifted and the full production was unveiled. I shot a near 3 minute video to capture this as Neil reappeared wearing a white fez-style hat after a much extended intro, watching men in hard hats shifting the props to the side before the screen lifted to reveal the full stage and band, including a stand up drummer bashing along to add energy. Of course this moment had famously malfunctioned at Glastonbury 2022 leaving poor Neil by himself and Chris hidden from view, but I expect it has been rigorously tested since to avoid a repeat!

It's one of their finest tunes and I only had the thought that if Left To My Own Devices is adapted to refer to mobile phone devices, it has more contemporary heft than I ever realised. I recorded up until the first chorus, zooming out to see the full spectacle. And now that the full production was revealed I did feel better about my position, although the rigging and lamp post was still in the way and often blocking my view of Chris and Neil. The side screen was helpful though as it extended the visuals and let me see close-ups of the guys, and if it wasn't for that I may have persisted on complaining about this. Perhaps the lesson is to hold myself back for outdoor standing "event" shows, which indeed is normally what I do, but I was especially keen to see Pet Shop Boys and had been naive enough to think an expensive seat would give a perfect view. Neil outed himself as a Suede fan by keenly pointing out that it was Saturday night, and once again Single-Bilingual was a highlight. But also once again it was not a surprise the second time, but there was plenty to enjoy and to justify a return visit. I recorded a video capturing hints of Discoteca before flashing lights and pounding drums got the song going, and I can see now that the zoomed-out videos with side screens were much better. I should have anticipated it but the sudden burst into Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) caught me off-guard and so my near 3 minute video missed the introduction. It is such a lovely song though and there were purple lights and I could see two ladies onstage contributing backing "ooooh" vocals. Neil was behind the rigging from my perspective and also as he was brightly lit up the zoom was no longer cutting it and I couldn't make out details of his face from my position. Domino Dancing was preceded with the same story of playing dominos on holiday and the visuals were lovely bright patterns. I shot a camera and then a phone video, capturing Neil letting us sing the chorus. My phone even coped with the lighting and actually recorded the moment pretty well.

It's only on reading the setlist now that I can see that the set dipped for a full six songs, but the performance remained compelling and Pet Shop Boys seem to be masters at balancing their tunes. The so-so New York City Boy was sandwiched between the unknown Dancing Star and A New Bohemia but we remained on our feet, only sitting down at last for the beautiful Jealousy. My video was undermined a bit by people pushing past and seeing this as a bar break, as I recorded the intro and verse amid yellow lights and some blurring. Neil introduced the song as the first ever song they'd written together, built from a rough demo made by Chris. It's sad that people thought that this was a "go to the bar" moment as it's a powerful and lovely song, and for me it is always miles ahead of Being Boring as far as PSB ballads go. Although onstage Neil is in control and Chris seems to do very little, I believe in reality their musical relationship is much more balanced and that they work together beautifully to write these brilliant songs for us. After the unknown Loneliness was Love Comes Quickly, as the video screen was lowered and the same purple ambient lights were projected as Neil did a slow walk across the stage in time to the progress of the song. I recorded Neil starting to sing up until the first chorus, and although it is embarrassingly overshadowed by their other 1980s singles, this rendition brings out the very best of what could be a weak moment and turns it into a memorable one. However I was due a treat and surprise and despite not being sure if I'd get one, I was delighted when the momentum lifted with an unexpected take on Paninaro! It was our cue to get back on our feet after a three-song rest and I can only guess that Neil pressurised Chris to sing this. It appears to have come back into the show on New Years Eve 2022 in Edinburgh and I suspect it went down so well that they have continued to perform it since. I shot a great video capturing epic yellow and white patterned light projections and "singing" from Chris. Although it's more of a rap than anything, but I do really like this song and had proactively added it to my Pet Shop Boys compilation even without the cue of hearing it live before. This would have been the one I posted to Facebook afterwards but I figured having the one tune that Neil didn't sing would be a weird choice, and in the end I decided not to bother at all.

This was the highlight for me and Neil had earlier announced that every song on the set tonight was a single, many of them smash hits but some of them only smash hits in their minds. Which was generally a brilliant thing, but it sadly ruled out a return for the fantastic Two Divided By Zero, which had been a firm highlight of their 2009 set. Pet Shop Boys had done a spectacular job balancing the setlist, foisting hits upon us and even giving us a breather and yet still managing to hold back all four of their number one hits until now. But the time had come, and Always On My Mind was treated as the monster hit and deserved Christmas #1 that it should be greeted as. I shot a video capturing white lights and the crowd singing along, and then a second phone video which was undermined by streaks in the lights, signifying that I needed to clean the phone lens. Neil was encouraging us to sing the chorus and was dancing with one of the poles, and this was the third video of the evening that I shared to my friends on WhatsApp to an indifferent response, following on from my lovely snippets of Suburbia and Domino Dancing. It made me realise what a waste of time it would be to post on Facebook afterwards, and it's a strange quirk of reality that so many people post videos on Facebook when it feels like no-one watches them and a good photograph has far more impact and appears to gain more traction. Next up was Dreamland as my shortish video captured Neil emerging in a bright silver coat and no longer sporting his white fez. He also was wearing sunglasses and it was much better enjoying this song without that talentless Olly Alexander spoiling it with his annoying vocals. We were now in the business end of the set though and I shot a video of Heart as Neil did a slowed down introduction before the tune kicked in properly. It was good in the moment but my video didn't quite capture the sheer glory of it. I have heard that the band don't like Heart, but sorry guys, I think it's your best song for sure!

Neil introduced a singer to accompany him on What Have I Done To Deserve This? as my video captured the roadies in hard hats carefully moving the duetting stars closer together on their respective lamp posts, but it was rather bright and I had to zoom out to get a better view. It's Alright led into Vocal, which I couldn't place but it felt like a real moment so I shot another video. Neil had now removed his sunglasses and I think this was the first time I noted this song belonged amongst the big hitters. I shot a video from before Go West started of the applause beforehand, capturing a positive video of San Francisco and the gay scene in the 1970s/1980s, featuring a possible member of The Village People smiling charismatically a few times. Although lacking the production and thrill of the 2009 rendition, it was excellent and I only now realise that it was totally different to the performance back in 2022, with an all-new video. I shot my fourth and last phone video but the sound was muffled, presumably because it was now too loud, or I was holding my phone the wrong way and didn't realise. This was followed by It's A Sin and flashing red lights as it built up. I shot another video and Neil rudely went to the other side of the stage before gradually coming back our way. I shot a redundant video of applause as the band left the stage, before they emerged as expected for the inevitable encore. I shot a video of the band reappearing. The screen went down and it had gone darker, and as the West End Girls intro was drawn out I had to shoot for longer than I expected until Neil had sung the first chorus. The key point I'd commented to the guys next to me was that Pet Shop Boys are masters at updating their songs so they sound totally modern and different, while at the same time never losing an iota of what made the tunes special in the first place. West End Girls was the epitome of this, and thanks to the 2009 performance DVD I have I can see that the band have kept that rendition as the template, and it was a very smart move.

Chris was casually playing the keyboard parts and had changed to a black jacket, whereas Neil had changed into a black suit. If Chris had removed his sunglasses at any point I've got to say I missed it! The screens showed some nostalgic 1980s footage of the band that perfectly fit the mood of the song, but I knew that this was not the end and that at least one more tune was forthcoming. I really don't get why Pet Shop Boys decide to finish with Being Boring, but I must also admit that this was the closest I'd come to enjoying it. I shot a quick video and now I appreciate the symmetry of how they started in a low key fashion wearing white and now were finishing in low key fashion while wearing black. The black and white video also echoed the outset of the show, with lamp posts on the screen matching the stage props. I had contemplated beating the crowd and leaving after West End Girls but after such an excellent performance I felt that this would be rather rude of me, and for all I knew they had a surprise to follow. The band left the stage to much applause at 10.35pm, after a little under 2 hours onstage. I gave them the applause they were due and enjoyed a speedy exit outside, stopping to take a pic of their trucks round the back. My photo shows five trucks, and there may have been more, but this clearly was a serious production so it comes as no surprise! Annoyingly there was zero information as to which way to walk so I went round the side and found myself in a hideous bottleneck of a staircase which took ages to pass. The trains continued to mock me by delaying three services but ensuring that they all departed minutes before I reached them. I missed a cheeky late night McFlurry in my failed effort to catch them, but decided to use the time wisely in writing up some notes, although when I came to write this up I ended up getting much of the detail from my videos in the end.

As it had been such a busy weekend I decided that I had to compromise a bit and that I would just wake up later on Sunday but still have my swim. I was teased further by the slow all stopper train and the fact that my direct train home was now running perfectly, but after dashing through Wolves and back to my car I believe I ended up back home slightly earlier than the train would have achieved. It was only two weeks later when I finally got round to writing up this review, but at least I've done that task as planned in just one sitting. My next day went as hoped for and the Pet Shop Boys played the chaotic Co Op Live Arena in Manchester without a hitch before moving onto Belfast and then Majorca and the Isle Of Wight for festivals after this. In fact their Isle Of Wight performance is being televised and I later watched that, enjoying the experience and seeing how well structured and rehearsed the show was, even if they missed out Single-Bilingual and Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) somehow. Except for the aforementioned Two Divided By Zero, Before and Love Etc. were the only tunes omitted that are part of my 20 song Pet Shop Boys best of. But 17 out of 20 is pretty impressive, and the three omissions were amongst the more obscure songs anyway. In fact the setlist had been identical to 2022 up until Domino Dancing, and also the home straight from Always On My Mind was unchanged. The middle section was where they'd mixed it up, dropping Monkey Business, You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk and Losing My Mind in place of Dancing Star, A New Bohemia, Loneliness and Paninaro. I would have gone with Drunk, Losing My Mind and Paninaro but must admit I'd be reluctant to drop many of the other songs to make room for the handful of omissions I'd have liked to have heard. I appreciate the Pet Shop Boys so much that I may suffer another show at one of the Birmingham Arenas to enjoy them again, but I'd really like it if they played a convenient outdoor show instead next time. The Piece Hall in Halifax is firmly on my radar now and that would do nicely, guys? But in the end I'd spent over £100 for a so-so side view and don't regret attending at all, and that means that this evening was as successful as it could have been in these circumstances, and the Pet Shop Boys are so awesome that I don't begrudge giving them so much money, at least not too much.
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
Dancing Star
New York City Boy
A New Bohemia
Jealousy
Loneliness
Love Comes Quickly
Paninaro
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

Mark: 9.0/10