Pet Shop Boys (Photo by Phil Fisk)
Pet Shop Boys and New Order’s long-awaited joint The Unity Tour kicks off in North American tonight and then stops at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Both bands alternate as opening and closing acts throughout the co-headline tour, with Paul Oakenfold playing a special DJ set before each act.
Pet Shop Boys 14th studio LP, Hotspot, is out now to critical acclaim via x2 Records/Kobalt. The album reached No. 3 in the UK, German, and Spanish albums charts and No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, making it the fourth Pet Shop Boys’ album to accomplish the feat.
Hotspot is the third in a series of albums produced by Stuart Price (following 2016’s Super and 2013’s Electric). Pet Shop Boys — Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe — are the most successful pop music duo in UK history and have sold over 50 million records worldwide since they emerged in the UK in 1985 with their worldwide number one single, “West End Girls.”
Watch the official music video for “West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys on YouTube:
Rising from the ashes of Joy Division, the enigmatic New Order triumphed over tragedy to emerge as one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of all time. While their debut album Movement (1981) was shadowed by the legacy of Joy Division, going forward the band combined their original post-punk sound with influences from New York’s club scene. The result was Power, Corruption & Lies (1983), released on Factory Records.
From this album came the single “Blue Monday,” which has since become the best-selling 12-inch single of all time. They went on to release a string of albums: Low-Life (1985), Brotherhood (1986) Substance (1987), Technique (1989), Republic (1993), Get Ready (2001), and Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005) before Peter Hook’s departure in 2007.
In 2015, the band released their critically acclaimed album Music Complete, reaching No. 2 in the UK album chart. The album’s title seems to shine a hue on New Order’s new manifesto: new line-up, newly eclectic sound, reinvigorated in their fourth decade as a unit.
Watch the official music video for “Blue Monday” by New Order on YouTube:
New wavers and MTV kids: This may well be the show of the year! We will see you there!
Pet Shop Boys and New Order
w/ Paul Oakenfold
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Wednesday, Sept. 21
Gates @ 5:30pm
$29.50 (lawn) – $315 (best)
All ages