Electronic music pioneers Pet Shop Boys rock the stage at Costa Brava summer festival Cap Roig
On Sunday night Pet Shop Boys presented their 12th studio album, Electric, at the summer music festival of Cap Roig, which takes place every year in Calella de Palafrugell, in the Costa Brava. The band performed an extraordinary show which included lighting effects, such as laser light beams, colourful theatrical smoke, and screen projections. Combining synthpop style, house and techno with more recent dance tracks, they have managed to evolve over the years but at the same time preserve their distinct style and continue to be revolutionary with every release. Cap Roig Festival is taking place from the 4th of July to the 15th of August and is combining worldwide-known artists and local musicians, such as Elton John, Bryan Adams, Placebo, James Blunt, Antonio Orozco and Els Pets, among others.
Palafrugell (ACN).- On Sunday night Pet Shop Boys, the British electronic dance music duo, formed by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, performed at the open-air music festival of Cap Roig for the first time, where they presented their 12th studio album, Electric. Considered to be the most successful duet in UK electronic music history, the band have gone back to their roots with the sound of electro-pop, and performed a spectacular show which included lighting effects, such as laser light beams, colourful theatrical smoke, fog effects, and screen projections. The concert highlights included lead singles from their latest album Axis and Vocal, mixed with their dance music hits known in clubs worldwide, such as Go West, Suburbia and It's a Sin. Combining synthpop style, house and techno with more recent dance tracks, they have managed to evolve over the years, but in the same time preserve their distinct style and continue to be revolutionary with every release. The festival is taking place from the 4th of July to the 15th of August in Calella de Palafrugell, in the Costa Brava, and will combine internationally famous artists with Spanish and Catalan musicians, such as Elton John (who opened the festival), Bryan Adams, Placebo, James Blunt, Antonio Orozco, la Iaia and Els Pets, among others.
On the 3rd of August, multi-award winning electronic pop legends Pet Shop Boys, formed by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, performed at the Cap Roig summer festival for the first time and presented their 12th studio album, Electric, produced by Stuart Price. Their current tour, celebrating their latest album, includes over a hundred concerts across the globe in a year. Concerts are divided into four acts and they feature their well-known greatest hits, such as Go West, Suburbia or It's a Sin, mixed with dance tunes from their new album, including Axis, Vocal and others. Pet Shop Boy’s electric tour show has been created in cooperation with creative director and designer Es Devlin and stage director and choreographer Lynne Page, both of whom worked with Pet Shop Boys on the Pandemonium tour. Furthermore, Devlin has also worked with Take That, Kanye West and Jay Z, and was responsible for the set at the 2012 Olympics' Closing Ceremony, while Page has been nominated for the Tony Awards.
Innovative show enriched Cap Roig festival
Pet Shop Boys appeared on stage within a light beam that was transformed into linked moving projections which showed images such as a tunnel, highway or pipelines with two shadows inside. While their new album's single, Axis, was being played, the two shadows turned into Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, who started the concert wearing sunglasses and extravagant hoods over their heads.
During the concert, the duo were constantly changing their outlandish outfits and offered the audience shocking performances with surprising choreography, such as the dance of minotaurs or a scene performed in a vertical bed with projections on the bed sheets.
Pet Shop Boys connected different themes and performances. It was only after the fourth hit, Fugitive / Integral, when they first addressed the audience, shouting 'Cap Roig' and then 'bona nit' (goodnight). During the concert they mixed Catalan with English and rarely addressed to the public.
Pet Shop Boys got the audience to stand up while performing one of their most famous hits Suburbia, and the second time, when the songs, such as I'm not scared, West end girls and Fluorescent were being played.
It was an hour and a half-long concert that displayed stunning visual effects and the best Pet Shop Boys' electronic music, which has achieved public and critical recognition since the early 80s. After 22 songs in the Top 10 UK and more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, Pet Shop Boys have proved to be an inexhaustible source of dance music rhythms.
A festival that combines spectacular views and international music
The Cap Roig festival is one of the most important musical events in Southern Europe. It started in 2001 and it is held every year in the botanical gardens in front of the hilltop of Cap Roig Castle, with the magical views down to the Mediterranean Sea and Calella de Palafrugell's beach, in the heart of the Costa Brava. The open-air stage with a 2,118 spectator capacity this year has attracted many international names, such as Elton John, Bryan Adams, Placebo, James Blunt, Spanish singer Antonio Orozco, David Bisbal and Barbara Hendricks, who will close the festival on the 15th of August. In addition, famous Catalan artists will also participate in the event, including Els Amics de les Arts, La Iaia and Els Pets. Regarding children, there are special performances of the Catalan Public Television Broadcaster's show 'Club Super 3', with a concert of Geronimo Stilton scheduled.