WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
Archive footage of ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev features in the video for this song about a rule breaker seeking freedom from oppression and it reminds us why Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant is pop’s finest lyricist.
- Read on for reasons including why Pet Shop Boys are our favourite act
Chris Lowe’s music’s not bad either with an upbeat and spring-like electronic dance music track reminding of the burping bassline of the duo’s biggest hit West End Girls and also the seagulls from cover Go West, a number 2 UK hit for the band in the year Nureyev died in 1993.
The song begins with Tennant whispering the poetic, almost dreamlike, scene-setting: ‘Amalfi, blue skies, blue sea, It’s a long way from Siberia. How did you get here?’
The titular central figure has ‘more power than a tsar’ and was ‘a fiery talent with a reputation, a troublemaker among sombre men’.
We’ve read that producer James Ford asked the band to strive for simplicity ahead of the release of new album Nonetheless on 26 April, our number 2 reason we can’t wait for April, and in many ways it’s the precision of Tennant’s lyrics while also using elaborate words 1 so rarely hears in pop like ‘tsar’ and ‘sombre’ that makes the PSB’s so much more than a vibe for us.
Coming in at just over 3 minutes in length, Dancing Star very much establishes itself without ever outstaying its welcome and so deserves repeat listening.
We join the Boys for an exclusive listen to that new album on 22 April as you can too and we’ll review it at this site shortly afterwards.
Check out Loneliness, the 1st single from Nonetheless, in the body of that April reasons article and decide doubtless that it is likely to be crowned our April album of the month shortly.
- Main picture via Facebook courtesy Pet Shop Boys
- Have you seen a Pet Shop Boys show before and what did you think of it? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
- Enjoyed this preview? Follow monstagigz on Twitter @NeilDurham, email neildurham3@gmail.com and check us out on Instagram and Facebook
monstagigz 
I went to Primavera Sound São Paulo, Brazil, in Dec/2024, to see PSB. Being at their show was wonderful! It’s very special to feel people of all ages singing and dancing. Emotion, joy, being able to see and hear 2 great names in music. For me, PSB is everyday coexistence, in happiness or sadness. It’s the sound! 😍🎶🇧🇷
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