Pet Shop Boys

Glastonbury Festival 2000 reviews

Pet Shop Boys
Pyramid Stage
21:00 Satuday 24th June 2000

Okay then. My plan for Saturday evening at Glastonbury 2000:
Rolf Harris at the Avalon Stage, or possibly Elastica on the Other Stage. Sorted.

So what did I do?

Fell asleep through Rolf, woke up, consumed half the Somerset Cider Bus with my friend Jane, then danced around like girlies at a school disco to the Pet Shop Boys saying things like "Ooooh I remember all the words 'cause they printed them in Smash Hits!".

Ah, you may well laugh hysterically, but the PSB's knew exactly what they were doing. I hear you say it… "How on earth can two middle-aged greying men come on stage in suits and cowboy hats, surrounded by two Tweedledum/dee-esque Village People style dancers in white boiler suits and entertain the minions of the Glastonbury festival?" And the answer is simple. Where else on this funny little planet could such an extravaganza work?! It's perfect!

From the moment we ran from our tents to sway to 'Suburbia'; to the moment they played the 'It's A Sin/I Will Survive' medley, complete with Gloria Gaynor-style disco diva in feather boa and sequins; to the incarnation of Cerys Matthews to Dusty Springfield as she stood in on 'Nothing Has Been Proved' …it was a disco-pop-triumph. Stop trying to poo-poo the whole thing as a fiasco. You flippin' loved the late-eighties and you KNOW it. You spent the whole evening with one ear to the direction of the Pyramid stage, just waiting for West End Girls. And we did too.

Their encore gave us what we needed. Pet Shop Boys are cheese-on-a-stick. Fantastic. Who else could round up their show with West End Girls dance-stylee and the triumphant Go West?!! If you listen VERY carefully, you can still hear the cheers of 'Ooo aaar, Ambrooosiiiaaaarrrr!'. What better song for a dairy farm…