Pet Store Boys introduced out Johnny Marr to carry out some rarities and deep cuts at a latest present at London’s Electrical Ballroom final evening (Wednesday March 8). Take a look at footage and the setlist under.
The gig came about on the Camden venue final evening as a part of the run of ‘Obscure’ reside exhibits the band introduced final yr – which is able to see them play a five-night residency on the intimate venue and play solely deep cuts and rarities.
The exhibits kicked off earlier this week, and noticed Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant get away the primary ever reside performances of 1986’s ‘Jack The Lad’, 2012’s ‘After The Occasion’, 1996’s ‘Hit And Miss’, 2002’s ‘At all times’, 2020’s ‘New Boy’, 2009’s ‘King Of Rome’, 2024’s ‘Love Is The Regulation’, 2006’s ‘The Efficiency Of My Life’, and extra.
Different songs that made the setlist included the primary renditions of ‘To Face The Reality’ and ‘One in a Million / Mr. Useless’ since 1994, the primary efficiency of ‘Your Humorous Uncle’ since 1991, and ‘The Theatre’ making its method onto the setlist for the primary time since 1997.
Final evening, the gigs continued, and whereas the setlist predominantly adopted that of the earlier ‘Obscure’ exhibits, Pet Store Boys did combine issues up by bringing out Johnny Marr as a particular visitor.
He was launched to the stage after the evening kicked off with ‘By You’, ‘Will‐o‐the‐wisp’, and ‘Two Divided by Zero’, and joined Pet Store Boys for the primary reside rendition of ‘The Truck Driver and His Mate’ since 2002. That music was launched again in 1996 as a part of the duo’s sixth album, ‘Bilingual’.
One other music from that album, ‘Up Towards It’ was additionally performed with Marr on the evening – marking the primary time ever it has been performed reside – and the previous Smiths icon additionally stayed to assist carry out ‘I Didn’t Get The place I Am At this time’ as properly. The latter is from Pet Store Boys’ 2012 album ‘Format’ and had not been carried out reside earlier than.
“Love and due to Pet Store Boys for inviting me to play final evening,” Marr wrote on Instagram, sharing a photograph of him on stage with Tennant and Lowe. He additionally shared a photograph taken earlier than the gig, telling followers that he was “on my method” to see the digital duo.
The remainder of the present noticed Pet Store Boys get away extra deep cuts from throughout their profession, together with ‘King’s Cross’, ‘Horny Northerner’, ‘Younger Offender’, ‘Why Don’t We Dwell Collectively?’ and extra.
Take a look at extra footage from the evening and the total setlist under.
Unbelievable PSB ‘Obscure’ gig on the Electrical Ballroom final evening. Johnny Marr turning up for a bit was a bonus as properly. pic.twitter.com/bf7xftJfPQ
— Mick (@nalaknip) April 9, 2026
Pet Store Boys’ setlist was:
‘By You’
‘Will‐o‐the‐wisp’
‘Two Divided by Zero’
‘Jack the Lad’
‘The Truck Driver and His Mate’ (with Johnny Marr) (First time since 2002)
‘I Didn’t Get The place I Am At this time’ (with Johnny Marr) (Dwell debut)
‘Up Towards It’ (with Johnny Marr) (Dwell debut)
‘Hit and Miss’
‘At all times’
‘One in a Million / Mr. Useless’
‘Horny Northerner’
‘Younger Offender’
‘It Couldn’t Occur Right here’
‘New Boy’
‘King of Rome’
‘King’s Cross’
‘Love Is the Regulation’
‘Why Don’t We Dwell Collectively?’
‘The Efficiency of My Life’
Encore:
‘Your Humorous Uncle’
‘The Approach It Used to Be’
‘Later Tonight’
‘I Dream of a Higher Tomorrow’
That is removed from the primary time that Johnny Marr has joined forces with Pet Store Boys. Again within the late ‘80s the three of them got here collectively to type the brand new wave supergroup Digital, and dropped the debut single ‘Getting Away With It’ in December 1989, earlier than releasing a self-titled debut album in 1991.
Marr has additionally collaborated with the duo on a number of PSB releases too. These embody taking part in guitar on ‘This Should Be the Place I Waited Years to Go away’ and ‘My October Symphony’ from their 1990 album ‘Behaviour’, that includes within the aforementioned 1996 music ‘Up Towards It’, taking part in on seven tracks from 2002’s ‘Launch’, and in addition engaged on varied songs from the 2009 file ‘Sure’.
Marr joined the band on stage at Royal Albert Corridor in 2017 too in assist of Teenage Most cancers Belief, and in addition launched them earlier than they acquired the Godlike Genius Award on the NME Awards that very same yr. Throughout his speech on the latter, he credited them with “altering pop music, over three many years, with hit after hit after hit” and “bringing romance, glamour, model, excessive artwork to the great factor that’s pop music.”
In 2024, Marr additionally introduced out Neil Tennant for his gig at London’s Eventim Apollo, as a part of the ‘Spirit Energy Tour’. There, they broke out covers of David Bowie’s ‘Insurgent Insurgent’ and Digital’s ‘Getting Away With It’.
Pet Store Boys launched their fifteenth and newest studio album, ‘Nonetheless’, in April 2024 and it was given a four-star evaluation from NME, which hailed it as “the elegant sound of pop’s standard-bearers persevering with to hone their craft”.
The band’s Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe then spoke to NME about how the LP was their “queer album” and went on to launch a remix album, ‘Disco 5’, that includes Noel Gallagher, Sleaford Mods, Paul Weller and Primal Scream.
As for Marr, the guitarist and songwriter just lately introduced his biggest-ever solo present. He’ll be taking part in at Manchester amphitheatre Castlefield Bowl for a particular homecoming efficiency on July 9, and it’s mentioned to coincide with “a significant yr of thrilling new exercise”. Tickets are on sale now, and you’ll purchase them right here.
