UK legends Johnny Marr and the Pet Shop Boys go way, way back together. According to a 2009 Guardian story, Marr met the Pet Shop Boys by chance in a Los Angeles hotel elevator in 1987, just after he left the Smiths, and he told them how much he liked their song "Hit Music." PSB singer Neil Tennant appeared on "Getting Away With It," the 1989 debut single from Electronic, Marr's post-Smiths duo with New Order's Bernard Sumner, and on a few other Electronic tracks. Marr has played guitar on a great many Pet Shop Boys records, going all the way back to 1990. And on Wednesday night in London, Marr joined PSB to help them perform a few total obscurities.
Obscurities are the theme of the current Pet Shop Boys shows. They're in the middle of "Obscure Pet Shop Boys," a five-night residency at London's Electric Ballroom that's dedicated to the deepest of deep cuts. Last night, Marr joined them as a surprise guest for three songs. First up was "The Truck Driver And His Mate," from the 1996 album Bilingual. The Pet Shop boys hadn't performed that one since 2002, according to Setlist.fm.
With Marr continuing to back them, up, the Pet Shop Boys then played tracks they'd never performed before. They did "I Didn't Get Where I Am Today," the B-side from their 2004 single "Flamboyant," and then they did another Bilingual track, "Up Against It." I don't know any of those songs, but they're all good. I'm extremely impressed that the Pet Shop Boys have fans who know these random-ass songs well enough to sing along and to whoop at the opening notes. Watch the fan footage below.
