In the second part of the Nonetheless double-bill, Graham and Chris finally go track-by-track on
@petshopboys
new album.
First plays ✅
Multi-formats✅
PSB-related wormholes✅
Nudity✅
Verdicts✅
Apple:
Spotify:
What a day to be alive.
New single - 'Loneliness', 2 new b-sides, new album announcement - 'Nonetheless' (with extra 4-track disc), new artwork, new video, and 5 dates at the Royal Opera House.
I think we might be able to find one or two podcasts in all of that.
#petshopboys
The single release of A new bohemia includes new studio recordings of two of Pet Shop Boys’ earliest compositions: It’s not a crime and I’ve got plans (involving you), both originally written and demoed way back in 1982. 1/5
The new PSB single feats 2 of their oldest songs. It’s not a crime was on the original demo tape that Neil gave to Bobby O. Neil would later use its lyrics for Left to my own devices. I’ve got plans dates from the same time: Neil’s Smash Hits colleagues liked this demo best.
Finally arrived
#2012
.
@petshopboys
#nonetheless
Looks great and sounds great too.
Looking forward to going ‘in depth’ on it very soon.
Season 3 starts on Friday.
(G)
Neil recently made headlines after sharing his opinions on Taylor Swift’s pop dominance. But over the years he has never been afraid to give his views on the pop stars of the day - and back in the 80s he was particularly vocal. (1/10)
Happy Nonetheless Eve! How are your preparations going?
• Checking for despatch emails
• Reappraising Hotspot
• Enquiring after postman’s health
• Setting up strobe for optimal Zoetrope experience
• Defending PSB online from irate Swifties
• Ear syringing appointment
In episode 14 we discuss the track I get excited (you get excited too). Released as the b-side of Heart in 1988, the track was originally intended for Introspective: (1/5)
Every track on Nonetheless features an orchestra, so, in anticipation, here’s a playlist of every Pet Shop Boys song that features real strings or orchestra.
A highlight in an evening full of them.
What a crowd. What an atmosphere. What a gig!
So much to talk about.
Brighton, Eden, Cologne, Helsinki, Copenhagan, Gothenburg - get ready, you are in for a treat.
#Paninaro
#PetShopBoys
@fdarena
We had fun playing out at the
#PetShopBoys
Q&A last night
@thejohnrylands
in Manchester. It was great to meet a few listeners too - thanks for saying hello.
I now have to get down to editing season 3 in time for the first episode on Friday. (G)
For those of us that waited until official release day - where was your first play of
#Nonetheless
? For me it’s doing the weekly supermarket shop. (G)
Please share your pics.
Ep19 was the last episode of In Depth for this series, so there’s no new one out tomorrow. And if you’ve already played ep19, you’ll have heard we don’t currently have plans for any more: we both need to prioritise other things. But we’ll be back at some point in the future. 1/4
In Annually, Neil and Chris always share their five favourite records. Here are two playlists which include all the tracks they’ve ever chosen - new for 2024 include
@depechemode
(Chris) and
@troyesivan
(Neil). (C)
Chris:
Neil:
A great Saturday night celebrating 40 years of
@petshopboys
with DJ Jaimie Styan at
@OldWoollen
, Farsley. All vinyl, all night - brilliant to hear tracks like Hit music, I get excited, Bet she’s not your girlfriend & Happy people alongside the big hits and more recent singles!(C)
Two final things from the Q&A last night.
1) A fantastic introduction from
@chris_pressler
who shared his own personal story of the role
#PetShopBoys
played growing up in Northern Ireland.
2) there are no ‘current’ plans to perform the album with an orchestra (my Q).
(G)
We hope you enjoy the Christmas In Depth - our present to you. From Television to Annually, to the Always on my mind chart battle, it was lots of fun to reminisce about
@petshopboys
Xmas moments over the years. We hope it puts a smile on your face too 😊
Merry Christmas!
G&C
In ep18, we take a deep dive into Pet Shop Boys’ sporting connections. Chris we know is a big sports fan; Neil, not so much.
Cricket
The song Cricket wife - about Neil’s mother - was inspired by the childhood summer afternoons he spent watching his father play cricket. (1/17)
Photos from leg three of our mammoth Pet Shop Boys In Depth London walk.
21.Trafalgar Square (where Pet Shop Boys performed Battleship Potemkin in 2004, and as mentioned in Up against it) (1/10)
When PSB won Outstanding Contribution at the 2009 Brit Awards I felt kind of vindicated as a fan. Brandon’s speech really hit the mark: “I was introduced to a new world of beats and sophistication…” And PSB really delivered in terms of a performance. (C)
A couple of other thoughts /highlights from Leeds last night.
1) that squelchy baseline that Chris played in West End girls.
2) the chorus sing-along during Domino dancing. And to think that this is often highlighted as the end of the Imperial Phase.
Here’s a pic of me (left) and Graham, recording episode four, looking decidedly citrus 🍋🍊 … or is there a Bilingual / Very influence at work?
Look out for episode five tomorrow 😊
(C)
#lemonjelly
#orangealert
In ep11 we discuss Electronic - they rarely played live, but anyone that saw them at Wembley Hall on 12/12/91 enjoyed a unique triple treat, with Neil and Chris joining for Patience of a saint, Disappointed and Getting away with it. Listen here:
Of course it’s about the music. But with Pet Shop Boys, we fans know there’s always so much more. In our Nonetheless podcast double-bill, as well as our reflections on the album itself, we wanted to cover all the excitement of the build up and the surrounding campaign. (1/3)
Here are photos from the second leg of our Pet Shop Boys In Depth London walk - from Hyde Park to the Savoy Theatre.
11. Hyde Park (where Pet Shop Boys performed in 2019) (1/10)
We hope you enjoyed s2. We worked hard to up our podcast game & we hope it showed! Do stick with us - we’ll be asking you for feedback as we shape s3. And you’ll be the first to know about new episodes. 2024 is set to be another great year for
@petshopboys
fans!
Graham & Chris
Tucked away at the bottom of the Dreamworld 2024 dates announcement:
“Their yet-to-be-named, 15th studio album is being produced by James Ford and scheduled for release in April 2024 which also marks 40 years since the first Pet Shop Boys record was released.”
The first of six brand new In Depth
#PetShopBoys
podcasts will be going live next Friday. The first will mark the 30th anniversary reissue of Relentless.
Listen/subscribe to our Season 1 podcasts here:
Apple Podcasts:
Spotify:
Their debut album Please included the 33 second reprise of Opportunities, but did you know Actually almost included a similar reprise of What have I done to deserve this? More related chat in episode 14:
Apple:
Spotify:
New Season Alert
Season 3 kicks off by marking 40 years of PSB recordings with a forensic examination of the catalogue, in a quest to spot those key tracks which keep propelling them forward.
And there’s a quiz!
Apple:
Spotify:
Thank you to everyone that helped us achieve our fundraising target in little over a week! We are humbled and grateful and of course excited to get started on more In Depth episodes! Stay tuned… 😊🤩🙌👍
Chris & Graham
#indepthPSB
#petshopboys
#podcast
In episode 12 we discuss how Pet Shop Boys’ iconic look and recognisable musical style made them ripe for parody. Here are six of my favourites - some funnier than others, but all showcasing how PSB became part of popular culture. (C) 1/7
Neil is celebrated as a singer & lyricist, but in ep15 we acknowledge his musical prowess. He often plays acoustic guitar in concert: he rarely plays synth so when he does it’s a visual treat. Given he plays electric guitar on Nonetheless, might we soon see him rock out on stage?
For episode 16 we go back to 1999 to immerse ourselves in one of
#PetShopBoys
' most polarising releases - Nightlife
Going out, staying in, Creamfields, eclipses and much, much more.
Apple:
Spotify:
Here are the final 10 photos from our Pet Shop Boys In Depth walking tour of London - from The Fortune of War to King’s Cross.
31.The Golden Boy of Pye Corner (formerly The Fortune of War pub, as mentioned in The Resurrectionist) (1/10)
In episode 5 we discuss the
@petshopboys
Peel session they recorded in 2002. It’s great to listen back to the compete recording, including intros and remarks from the man himself.
@johnpeelarchive
Which is your favourite track?
The first of six new In Depth
#PetShopBoys
podcasts will be going live on Friday.
The first will mark the 30th anniversary reissue of Relentless.
Listen/subscribe to our Season 1 podcasts here:
Apple Podcasts:
Spotify:
Season three recording underway!
✅ More In Depth Pet Shop Boys history
✅ More album deep-dives
✅ More half-remembered anecdotes
✅ More idle speculation
✅ More ridiculous quizzes
Thanks to everyone that’s already supported our new crowdfunder 😊
▶️◀️
Back in Christmas 1988, the Annually crossword helped keep teenage
@petshopboys
fans like Graham and myself out of trouble over the festive period. 35 years later, we’re launching the In Depth Crossword. If you get stuck I’ll share clues. Good luck! (C)
A legendary Pet Shop Boys album is released on CD, digital and limited-edition vinyl, celebrating the 30th anniversary of "Very Relentless". The limited-edition yellow vinyl version, exclusive to the PSB Store, and the CD will be released on 20th October.
We weren’t really sure how In Depth should best cover the release of a brand new Pet Shop Boys record… given we’ve already all immersed ourselves in the music, read the reviews, listened to the interviews, and devoured Annually. 1/3
We’re back, back, BACK
We kick off our Season 2 In Depth podcasts with the surprise reissue of Relentless & transport ourselves back to the early 90s to go through this (no-longer) secret
#PetShopBoys
six-tracker.
Apple:
Spotify:
In ep17 we take a 16 mile walk across London, visiting 40 PSB related places from their history, lyrics and sleeves. Beginning today, we’ll share the photos we took of the things we saw.
1. Ivy Asia, 203 King’s Road: formerly Chelsea Record Centre where N and C first met (1/10)
Another recording in the bag - looking forward to sharing season three with you very soon!
There’s still time to support our crowdfunder to help cover our costs and get your name in the credits 😊
Go on then, make us jealous!
Who owns the Vinyl Factory special edition box set of Yes?
Only 300 copies made. Do you have one of them?
Please tell us more about that “smoked Perspex box with magnetic fastening” 😮
Weimaraner dogs, striped culottes, illicit subway rides, rundown hotels, beach chess, handbag headgear… and those wigs and eyebrows… 1999’s Nightlife was certainly one of
#petshopboys
most iconic eras.
Ep16
Apple:
Spotify:
We were keen to try something new as part of season three… that “something new” turned out to be our London episode. Back in March we both took a rainy Thursday off work to spend a day in our capital, immersing ourselves in all things Pet Shop Boys related. (1/5)
@petshopboys
Thanks so much for the post guys - we really appreciate it.
We also have a Twitter account where you can get additional content, links and a playlist of songs that we discuss in each episode.
We hope you enjoy it.
See you in Leeds!
#InDepthPSBPodcast
In Ep5 we discuss the Behaviour sleeve & the Johari Window model.
It's a technique designed by two psychologists Joseph Luft & Harrington Ingham (Jo-Hari) to help people better understand their relationship with themselves & others.
Are they connected?
From the moment we finished our “Chris” episode, we knew we wanted to do the same for Neil. We started at the very beginning, and ep15 grew into a history of Neil’s formative years. Given Neil’s a history scholar, we hope we’ve come up with something suitably In Depth 👍🏻
G&C 😊
Hello to all our new followers on the back of today’s mention on the official
@petshopboys
social channels, which we were bowled over by. We hope you enjoy the podcasts. Thank you also to everyone that left nice comments. It’s been quite a day! 😊
Despite leaking for 10 seconds (when I pressed the wrong button), 12RX014 - the first episode of Season 3 - is locked in and scheduled for a midnight release on Friday.
But what will it be? 🤔
(G)
Episode 6 of the
#InDepthPSBPodcast
is all about Neil's lyrics and the subjects that he keeps coming back to.
What's your favourite
#PetShopBoys
lyric?
For episode 8 Graham came back to mine to nosey through my PSB collection. It was a great excuse to go through my shelves and boxes and share stories. Mine’s not the biggest collection out there but it’s full of great memories. We hope you enjoy listening 😊 (C)
As discussed in ep11, Pet Shop Boys appeared with Electronic at Manchester’s Cities In The Park festival in 1991, playing Getting away with it. It was an amazing weekend with a fantastic Factory line-up - who else was there? (C)
Official video (no PSB):
We’re going out in style with a rollercoaster episode dedicated to Blackpool’s very own one-man Pleasure Beach, Mr Chris Lowe. If we’re a little cheeky in parts it’s meant with affection. Of course Neil’s our fave too - but that’s a whole other future episode 😊
Graham & Chris
🎉One and one makes five (hundred) 🎉
We hit 500 followers over the weekend so a big thank you to everyone who has supported us and made the podcast a success.
Graham and Chris
🥳
In the first part of double-ep, Graham and Chris go so In Depth talking about Nonetheless, they don’t even have time to talk about Nonetheless.
Campaign build up ✅
Singles ✅
Artwork ✅
Quiz ✅
Much, much more ✅
Apple:
Spotify:
It’s great to be able to share season 3 of In Depth - we’re mining 40 years of PSB history for facts, theories and personal anecdotes. This time we’ve even taken the podcast out on the road - and we’ve left space in our schedule to bring things bang up to date.
Graham and Chris
The brand new issue of Classic Pop Presents brings to you: Pet Shop Boys Volume 2 - available in two stunning covers! In this 132-page second volume of Classic Pop Presents Pet Shop Boys, we pay tribute to the greatest pop duo of all time. BUY NOW:
As we begin work in earnest on season three, we’re opening a crowdfunder to help cover our costs - and we’d like to invite you to take part.
In return we’ll give you a call out in the credits of a S3 episode.
Thank you for supporting the podcast
G&C
With SMASH available on cassette it made me think how many people still have their old cassettes?
These are mine.
I then bought all the remix 12”s to compliment them.
They are battered as they were bought to listen to - and they got plenty of that!!!
(G)
While we want In Depth to be celebratory, we were also keen to revisit those albums we’d connected with the least. In ep16 we hope you’re up for coming on a journey to rediscover Nightlife with us - we’ll maybe even give you a new perspective on an old friend.
Graham (r) & Chris
I didn’t have the patience for an unwrapping video but it was a good job as it took me ages to get into it!
Worth it though. Finally got to hear
#Furthermore
and the limited edition print is really nice. 24/1500. Happy with that. (G)
Episode 12 - Chris OUT NOW
In our final episode of series 2, we look at what makes the world’s coolest synth icon tick.
We talk staircases, visit Blackpool and celebrate Mr Lowe’s most famous strops.
Apple:
Spotify:
You may have noticed that our thirteenth episode is actually '12RX012a' rather than '12RX013'.
This isn't because we are superstitious, it's actually a homage to
@QMagazine
who for their Oct 1987 issue numbered it 12a rather than 13 - an issue that PSB were on the cover of.
As discussed in ep8, 1987-1993 I was a secret scrapbooker - cutting and sticking
#petshopboys
articles and pics to build my own library of their pop history. It’s fun to look back at the halcyon days of PSB’s imperial phase & also some great lost titles of music journalism. (C)