Live Performance Review: Pet Shop Boys,  Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Tuesday 31.12.2013, 20:30

This was a performance that was put on as part of the Edinburgh New Year celebrations. The prospect of many drunk new year's revelers in the cold weather is not usually my idea of fun, though I wanted to see the Pet Shop Boys so decided to get a ticket and go along. Thankfully the weather held up, there was just a very mild breeze and no moisture in the air. 

There were three supports:

The 10:04s: 

Local One Trick Pony Miserablist Crap. Rating: 00/00. 

Nina Nesbitt: 

A local lady just starting her career with a fair amount of buzz. She was a fair improvement upon the last, and I can see how she would appeal to the young with her light 'n' breezy pop, though this was not for me. Rating: 04/10.

The 1975: 

A group who have come into the spotlight this year. I had known nothing of their music prior to the gig, all I knew of them was that the lead singer is the son of the actor Tim Healy. Their music was upbeat, easily listenable, catchy in parts with elements of electronica though broadly hard to categorise - always a good thing. I was impressed enough that I am tempted to get their debut album, praise indeed. Rating: 08/10.

PET SHOP BOYS: 

The Pet Shop Boys (PSB) came on at 23:20 and performed until shortly before 01:00, with a break for 'the bells' the bring in the new year. They did a Greatest Hits set of which I knew almost all the songs and got to hear all of my favorites. With there only being two members in PSB, they have had to develop their performance to fill the stage. This they do in mesmerising fashion with brilliant use of screens, lights, lasers, costumes, dancers and elements of theatre that covered disparate cultural references from Greek mythology to satarising modern urban living. 

It was a visual and audio spectacle which at times felt gob-smacking due to the barrage of of joyous and surprising details. This was quite simply one where 'you had to have been there'. 

They also managed something very sneaky. Anyone who knows me reasonably well will know that I despise Coldplay beyond any rationale explanation. Unannounced the PSB slipped in a cover of Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida'. I knew I knew the song, though could not place it. I was singing along happily and it was only at the end of the song I realised what I had been singing. I was not annoyed, nor did I feel dirty (as I would have expected). I found it funny. Though they did do a far better version than Coldplay.

I was on such a positive buzz that on the way home I was wishing random strangers a happy new year, which is not like me at all. A fantastic way to end a great year for gigs.

Rating: 10/10.