Celebrating 40 years of the release of their 1986 debut album ‘Please’, PET SHOP BOYS will paradoxically play 5 intimate live shows at London’s Electric Ballroom under the ‘Obscure’ banner.

At the opposite end of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s highly successful ‘Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live’ tour, the ‘Obscure’ series of shows will feature only album tracks and B‑sides from across their long career, with many songs being performed live for the first time.

Ranging from songs to dance experiments with any number of stylistic diversions, PET SHOP BOYS have always prided themselves in producing quality B-sides and a good number are fan favourites. Their first double CD collection of B-sides, ‘Alternative’ came in 1995. Originally planned to be a single CD, Tennant and Lowe found the selection process a challenge so opted for a double CD, a move that was welcomed by fans of these more “obscure” recordings. In addition, PET SHOP BOYS have included bonus albums with limited special editions of ‘Very’, ‘Fundamental’ and ‘Yes’ featuring exclusive tracks and these can be also classified as “obscure”.

Always a prolific duo with numerous collaborations, remixes, soundtracks, theatre productions and a stage musical in their portfolio, PET SHOP BOYS released a second double CD collection of B-sides ‘Format’ in 2012 covering B-sides and bonus tracks released between 1996-2009. Perhaps it is time for a third B-sides collection from 2010 to cover their post-Parlophone self-released x2 era?

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK presents its 25 Favourite Obscure PET SHOP BOYS Tracks in chronological order, the list is restricted to B-sides, bonus tracks and exclusive material from the limited special edition versions of their albums…

IN THE NIGHT (1985)

‘In The Night’ was the B-side for the first single version of ‘Opportunities’ and saw PET SHOP BOYS reusing the same chord progression as its A-side. The lyrics referred to Les Zazous, an apolitical group in France during the Second World War who were disliked by the Nazis and the Resistance. With the machine gun ending, is Zazou shot? Although Phil Harding , the Arthur Baker remix was used as the theme music for the BBC’s ‘The Clothes Show’.

Originally released as the B-side of the single ‘Opportunities’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

A MAN COULD GET ARRESTED – Bobby Orlando version (1985)

Originally recorded with Bobby Orlando in late 1983, ‘A Man Could Get Arrested’ was like ‘I Want A Lover’, an example of the boiling sexual frustration evident in early PET SHOP BOYS songs. Laid down in an basic office studio and remixed with Frank Roszak, this New York version captured a raw electro energy that was more impactful than the sophistipop re-recording produced by Stephen Spiro that ended up on the 7″ single of ‘West End Girls’.

Originally released as the 12” B-side of the single ‘West End Girls’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

THAT’S MY IMPRESSION (1986)

Possibly the song which indicated that PET SHOP BOYS were going to be around for a while and not just a flash in the pan, ‘That’s My Impression’ was menacing as opposed to melancholic, combining SOFT CELL with Divine. Neil Tennant’s final angry refrain of “I went looking for someone I couldn’t find – staring at faces by the Serpentine…” was embittered in a manner that turned out to be quite rare in PET SHOP BOYS’ later work.

Originally released as the B-side of the single ‘Love Comes Quickly’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

PANINARO (1986)

“Passion and love and sex and money – Violence, religion, injustice and death” went the opening phrases of Chris Lowe’s debut lead vocal for PET SHOP BOYS. Spoken rather than sung, the track was a celebration of an Italian fashion cult. The middle featured an ‘Entertainment Tonight’ interview with Lowe confirming: “I don’t like Country & Western. I don’t like rock music. I don’t like Rockabilly. I don’t like much, really, do I? But what I do like, I love passionately!”

Originally released as the B-side of ‘Suburbia’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

JACK THE LAD (1986)

Written about the spy Kim Philby before then referencing Lawrence of Arabia and Oscar Wilde, ‘Jack The Lad’ was musically influenced by Erik Satie and Ennio Morricone. While the song title phrase is associated with masculinity, Tennant turned things over and used historical figures who “followed their own instincts and philosophies rather than simply obey rules or follow accepted practice” as clever metaphors to maverick individuality.

Originally released as the B-side of ‘Suburbia’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

DO I HAVE TO? (1987)

A grand moody ballad in the vein of ‘It Couldn’t Happen Here’ with which there were a number of shared elements, the narrative looked at love triangles and asked the question of the title; this would be a recurring topic and form the story told in ‘So Hard’. With the working title of ‘Break His Heart, Not Mine’, Tennant said ‘Do I Have To?’ was his attempt at making a track like David Sylvian.

Originally released as the B-side of ‘Always on My Mind’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

I GET EXCITED (1988)

First recorded with Bobby Orlando, ‘I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)’ was another early sexually charged number that was a cousin to ‘A Man Could Get Arrested’. Re-recorded during the ‘Introspective’ album sessions, Tennant asked “I don’t know why”, a phrase he would repeat on the next PET SHOP BOYS single ‘Domino Dancing’. He later said the song was wholly innocent and about visiting New York for the first time.

Originally released as the B-side of ‘Heart’; currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

YOUR FUNNY UNCLE (1989)

An elegiac chamber ballad using quotes in the coda inspired by The Book Of Revelations, the lyrics of ‘Your Funny Uncle’ were written by Tennant about the funeral of his friend Chris Dowell, the first he had attended of a close friend. It may be implied that in the title character’s sympathetic greetings to his late nephew’s friends, there is a knowing empathy from a member of an older repressed generation as “Another life begins today.”

Originally released as the B-side of ‘It’s Alright, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

WE ALL FEEL BETTER IN THE DARK (1991)

‘We All Feel Better In The Dark’ was about clubbing and its inherent euphoria; Lowe took the verse vocal while Tennant sang the chorus on this discordant sample-laden dance track. The lyrics were inspired by a tape that Lowe acquired at a health food store called ‘The Secrets of Sexual Attraction’. With the declaration that “I’m feeling really horny”, Lowe performed the track in his boxer shorts during the 1991 ‘Performance’ tour.

Originally released as the B-side of the single ‘Being Boring’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

BET SHE’S NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND (1991)

While the song was inspired by George Michael being photographed with a group of beautiful models, Tennant referred to his own teenage dating experience with Krysia Korczynski who later ran PET SHOP BOYS’ fan club and would become the partner of their late photographer Eric Watson. The vibey house track with glissando strings was considered for inclusion on ‘Behaviour’ but was ultimately relegated to B-side status.

Originally released as the 12” B-side of the single ‘Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You)’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

MUSIC FOR BOYS (1991)

Taking elements form the “Happy Hardcore” of THE PROIDGY and rave nights at London’s now demolished venue The Astoria, the title ‘Music For Boys’ reflected how this aggressive form of dance music was aimed at “boys” rather than “girls”. Effectively a solo Chris Lowe track, this was one of the first PET SHOP BOYS tracks that appeared to have no recognisable trace of Neil Tennant as all the voices were samples or vocodered.

Originally released as the B-side of the single ‘DJ Culture’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

SHAMELESS (1993)

An epic commentary on celebrity culture where “we will do anything to get out 15 minutes of fame” because “we have no integrity” and “we’re ready to crawl”, ‘Shameless’ was on the nose in its satirical observations. But it was dropped as a ‘Very ‘album track because the joke wore thin even on Tennant and Lowe themselves. ‘Shameless’ was later part of the PET SHOP BOYS 2001 stage musical ‘Closer To Heaven’ sung by “The Vile Celebrities”.

Originally released as the B-side of the single ‘Go West’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

WE CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1993)

Accompanying their ‘Very’ “up” pop statement was a primarily lyric-less “dance” album ‘Relentless’ helmed by Chris Lowe. The best track on the 6 track collection was ‘We Came From Outer Space’. With sampled statements like “You know the difference between the two genders? No!” and a repeated title phrase, the mysterious spacey hypnotism was affirmed by Lowe dryly announcing “Something’s not right, I can’t work it out…”

Originally released on the bonus disc of the special edition album ‘Very Relentless’, currently available on the album ‘Relentless’ via Parlophone Records

TOO MANY PEOPLE (1993)

With their shared love of Italo disco, PET SHOP BOYS had an affinity with NEW ORDER and this spilled out musically on ‘Too Many People’. A stabbing dance song about being overwhelmed, Tennant asked “What is my identity?” as he reflected on the conflict within his mind. Given their involvement with ELECTRONIC, one could have been half forgiven for thinking Bernard Sumner was about to join in on the main refrain…

Originally released as the B-side of the single ‘I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing”, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

DECADENCE (1994)

PET SHOP BOYS had been asked to write the theme for a film titled ‘Decadence’ based on a Steven Berkoff play which starred Joan Collins, but they withdrew from the project after seeing a rough cut. With a sonic sandwich of ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ and KRAFTWERK’s ‘The Model’, augmented by Johnny Marr on guitar and string arrangements by Richard Niles, this was the nearest PET SHOP BOYS came to writing something akin to a Bond Theme.

Originally released as the B-side of the single ‘Liberation’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

EUROBOY (1994)

A fuzzy Euro-rave track with vocoders and very basic “lover” lyrics forming the topline, ‘Euroboy’ was outwardly quite throwaway but highly effective in its sinister resonance via an incessant Cossack chant sampled from an African voice. Originally only appearing on the cassingle of ‘Yesterday, When I Was Mad’ in the UK but on the CD variant in Europe, ‘Euroboy’ was like ‘Boyzone’, the name of a gay porn publication from the period…

Originally released as a bonus track of the single ‘Yesterday, When I Was Mad’, currently available on the album ‘Alternative’ via Parlophone Records

CONFIDENTIAL (1996)

The PET SHOP BOYS demo for the Tina Turner track on her 1996 album ‘Wildest Dreams’ is something of a gem only known to the duo’s aficionados, especially as the late diva’s version was disappointing despite being produced by Tennant and Lowe with Chris Porter. Originating from the ‘Very’ sessions, this midtempo minor key ballad had similar aesthetic properties to ‘Hey Headmaster’, one of the B-sides to ‘Can You Forgive Her?’

Originally released as a bonus track of the single ‘Single-Bilingual’, currently available on the album ‘Format’ via Parlophone Records

SEXY NORTHERNER (2002)

A song that has been rumoured to be about either Chris Lowe or Robbie Williams although neither has been confirmed, Tennant marvelled from a distance about the antics of a young man who “drinks a lot of beer” and is literally getting away with it, always “hanging round the clubs” and “gets in them for free”. A trancey house number that went all glam rock in the chorus, it should be noted that none of the lyrics actually rhyme!

Originally released as a bonus track of the single ‘Home & Dry’, currently available on the album ‘Format’ via Parlophone Records

WE’RE THE PET SHOP BOYS (2003)

“I feel you touch me and it’s 1984, I know what you will say before you start in my heart, we’re the PET SHOP BOYS…” articulated MY ROBOT FRIEND when imagining himself and his former lover as Tennant and Lowe. Gloriously covered by the duo themselves, with the closing shopping list of song titles fittingly deadpanned by Lowe, Tennant remarked “It sums us up”. Robbie Williams would cover the song in 2006 using a remix of the PSB version.

Originally released as a bonus track of the single ‘Miracles’, currently available on the album ‘Format’ via Parlophone Records

FUGITIVE – Richard X Extended Mix (2006)

While the ‘Fundamental’ album was produced by Trevor Horn, on the bonus album ‘Fundamentalism’, it was opened by the Richard X produced ‘Fugitive’ in powerfully extended form. PET SHOP BOYS’ own post-9/11 song, Neil Tennant said: “It’s about a terrorist, a terrorist whose ideology is that he believes that by killing the enemy he’s going to go to heaven”. A shorter version came with the German-only ‘Beautiful People’ single.

Originally released on the bonus disc of the special edition album ‘Fundamental / Fundamentalism’, currently available on the album ‘Fundamental / Further Listening 2005-2007’ via Parlophone Records

BLUE ON BLUE (2006)

‘Blue On Blue’ was blessed with an explicit Divine intervention and heavy on the influence of Bobby Orlando. While using a military term referring to “friendly fire”, a topic covered on a song during 1999’s ‘Nightlife’ era, this song was much more truly “friendly” in its provocative throb. It was a metaphor for how two unhappy “blue” people could together make each other happy by the sea in view of the blue of the sky and the blue of the water…

Originally released as a bonus track of the single ‘Minimal’, currently available on the album ‘Format’ via Parlophone Records

PARTY SONG (2006)

Interpolating KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND’s ‘That’s The Way (I Like It), ‘Party Song’ was a throbbing disco affair that outshone the horrendous Diane Warren-penned ballad ‘Numb’ which was the main act. Lyrically inspired by the classic Joan Collins and Leonard Rossiter fronted Campari adverts, it began life as a dance cover of NIRVANA’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ suggested by Elton John for inclusion on ‘PopArt’!!

Originally the B-side of ‘Numb’, currently available on the album ‘Format’ via Parlophone Records

THIS USED TO BE THE FUTURE (2009)

‘This Used To Be The Future’ was a dream trioet that featured both PET SHOP BOYS and Philip Oakey of THE HUMAN LEAGUE, recorded as a bonus song for ‘Yes etc’. With Lowe actually singing albeit autotuned, as opposed to just speaking, this celebration of yesterday’s tomorrow saw Oakey deadpan that his utopian dream didn’t quite turn out as predicted on ‘Tomorrow’s World’!

Originally released on the bonus disc of the special edition album ‘Yes etc.’, currently available on the album ‘Yes / Further Listening 2008-2010’ via Parlophone Records

ONE-HIT WONDER (2016)

Produced for the German internet TV music show ‘The One-Hit Parade’ in 2015, the theme was extended to make ‘One-Hit Wonder’. Upbeat and very jaunty for a PET SHOP BOYS track, Tennant’s “da-la-la-la-la” from the halfway point were delivered in a lightweight European style. The theme’s hook actually dated back a DEPECHE MODE-influenced instrumental the duo wrote in 1981 when Tennant was working for Smash Hits.

Originally released as a bonus track of the single ‘The Pop Kids’ via x2

THE WHITE DRESS (2016)

Unusual in that most of the track was instrumental, ‘The White Dress’ was said to be about Sam Taylor-Wood née Taylor-Johnson, director of the 2015 film ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ who recorded a cover of ‘I’m In Love With A German Film Star’ with PET SHOP BOYS back in 2009. With moody electronic backing reminiscent of KRAFTWERK, the limited lyrics referred to the striking garment that she wore to the Berlin premiere.

Originally released as a bonus track of the single ‘Twenty-something’ via x2

Obscure PET SHOP BOYS takes place at London’s Electric Ballroom for 5 nights between 6th to 10th April 2026

‘Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live’ is available now as a Blu-ray+2Cd set

The book ‘Volume: The Complete Visual Record’ is published by Thames & Hudson in hardback on 7th April 2026

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK has compiled an Obscure PET SHOP BOYS playlist on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QfJbKvMDsTwgInxqbpskm

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
22nd January 2026