Who
Pet Shop Boys
Support
Dave Pearce
Where
Warwick Castle Grounds
When
30th August 2025
Price
£79.00
Who with
No-one
Position
In the middle
Comments
So apparently this is the milestone of my 250th concert, and what better way to hit this target than with another viewing of an old favourite at a brand new venue? Much like Supergrass, this was my fourth time watching Pet Shop Boys, and it was the draw of a prestige venue that made it almost impossible to resist. I got tickets immediately, thinking it was so much better to pay £79 - plus the typically outrageous £10.40 fees - for general admission rather than a fixed seat with a poor distant view of the stage. Standing concerts are so much better in almost every way, and the first time I'd watched Pet Shop Boys in 2009 I'd paid just £33, had got to stand close to the front and also had enjoyed a proper support band in Bad Lieutenant, who featured Bernard from New Order and played Love Will Tear Us Apart amongst other hits! I have no regrets about watching Pet Shop Boys a stonking three times on their Dreamworld tour but I was very aware that I was paying so much more for arguably a poorer show. Weirdly this never seemed to sell out, and judging from the size of the field I would guess it was 30,000 capacity rather than the 15,000 capacity another source said? In a real kick in the balls, Will Fucking Smith announced that he was going to play Wolverhampton Civic on THE SAME NIGHT as Pet Shop Boys, which is an all-time ludicrous clash. The chance that Will Smith would actually tour and then handpick my ideal venue for one of a small numbers of dates was beyond all comprehension, but I obviously wasn't going to tear up the ticket I'd already purchased. I'd expected to have got the Dreamworld DVD by now but I read that it was delayed due to rights issues, although given that the tour is ongoing it's easy to imagine that delaying this release suited all parties in any case.

I never looked into hotels and always planned a day trip to take in the highlights of Warwick, albeit excluding the castle on the basis that the show would take place in there. I also planned to visit Birmingham to commence the bull sculpture trail the next day, but in the end I decided to stay in and enjoy a rare day of quiet. I didn't listen to Pet Shop Boys besides one quick spin of my own greatest hits compilation. I didn't regret my choice of going, even though the weather forecast was poor and Lord Leycester Hospital was randomly closed due to some selfish pricks booking it out for a wedding. It was one of my top attractions to visit, so I wasn't too impressed. I'd never have guessed that the Dreamworld tour would span a solid 5/6 years, but it was supposed to kick off during the pandemic so my first time was rescheduled from May 2020 to May 2021 and then eventually to May 2022. I couldn't resist returning in June 2024 as the band were playing the NIA and that is so much more convenient than the NEC, and I knew that hits were guaranteed. I paid a fair whack for my seat then too, being annoyed that it only secured me a mediocre side view. So clearly I wasn't going to miss out on a chance to see them outdoors, and I even asked my Dad but he didn't fancy standing up so long, and given how the weather turned out he probably made the right choice to skip it. On the Saturday of the show I did my normal morning swim then enjoyed an easy drive to Warwick via the M54, M6, M5 and M40. One road sign warned of a report of fire and to slow down, so I was shocked to see that a car on the hard shoulder was genuinely ablaze as I passed it. I had doubted if I'd be able to park ok but had chosen the large St Nicholas Park car park and parked easily near the back. I guess that it was still the morning, but the real shocker was that there were still spaces when I returned to my car to swap from my day coat to my rain coat. £12 for 24 hours was a lot, but on balance it was alright for a full day plus evening concert parking in a small town for such a large show?

I suspected that the weather forecast was the usual bollocks and had gambled that it would be dry, and I was correct up until the mid afternoon when it suddenly turned, and I got pretty wet returning to my car. But I'm jumping ahead there, first up I tried St Nicholas's Church but it was infuriatingly closed, and the gorgeous church building above the East Gate randomly seemed to be up for sale. The town council should buy it and open it for the public as a little museum or heritage church, as it's a crime to not let it remain open to the public. I then headed to Mill Gardens around the castle grounds but was unable to pay the £3 fee as it was cash in a bucket, and nobody in the 21st century has cash, let alone exact change? No one was there so I went in anyway, and I couldn't work out if the lady on the way out who asked me about it was trying to guilt trip me into paying or if she was oblivious. Look, NOBODY has cash, get with the times or be a free garden. It's a shame as I'd have been perfectly happy to tap my card for £5 or so, and I saw nice views of Warwick Old Bridge plus the side of the castle, which mostly was difficult to view from the town besides a long shot from the main road bridge near the car park. St Mary’s Church was far more successful, as I had a lovely look around, explored the crypt and beautiful side chapels and even got to climb the tower for a reasonable price. If they'd demanded cash for that I'd have gone to the cash machine and also backtracked to pay at Mill Gardens, but they didn't and I'm keen to remain cash free unless I absolutely have to pay for something in that archaic way. The view from the top of the church exposed that the field with the stage in it was not at the castle, and I was doubtful that I'd even be able to see the castle from the arena. And I've got to say that I felt cheated, as it's a lie to claim that the show is at Warwick Castle when it quite simply is not!

OK, so logistically it would be impossible to stage this production inside the walls of the castle unless it was 10% of the size, but I feel that this was false advertising and if I'd decided to complain about it that I'd surely have a strong case? But I guess this dishonesty backfired as I refrained from visiting the castle on the basis that I'd see it for the show, and I suspect that many fans had made the same decision. So that was a lot of revenue they lost out on as a result. I'd have been quite happy to just have seen the Pet Shop Boys - although I honestly don't know if I'd still have attended if I'd known the true venue - so the more fool them. Not paying to visit the castle and the likelihood that I won't return for another show as a result of this is probably sufficient revenge. I enjoyed a really delicious battered sausage with chips and curry sauce from a local chip shop, following it with a pleasant tub of ice cream in unusual flavours and later a somewhat greedy sausage roll from Greggs also. Apart from the main church I ventured into three military museums plus the main Market Hall Museum, and it was after visiting here that the heavens finally opened and we suffered a torrential downpour. I wasn't ready for it so I stayed in the foyer area until it eased, also I was being as careful as I could be with my phone after needing a second screen replacement after it randomly seized up a second time, meaning that I had to go phoneless for some of the August bank holiday weekend. After paying £75 for a screen repair, getting it fixed a second time for "free" at least gave me my money's worth? Although I'm quite doubtful if it will last much longer. St Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic Church was one of the few which was open, and I also glimpsed the selfish couple getting married at Lord Leycester Hospital. I know that Warwick Castle is a big attraction and that clearly I wasn't going to do it all in one day, so although I was a little frustrated by the closures I probably saw enough to make my day worthwhile, and to put me in a strong position to complete Warwick on my next visit here.

I heard Pet Shop Boys soundchecking twice while exploring Warwick, initially catching Left To My Own Devices, then later Single-Bilingual, Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) and Domino Dancing while returning to my car in the rain. I had some drama finding somewhere to eat, and I probably should have anticipated this and booked somewhere. I was turned away from Mexican, Indian and Vietnamese restaurants but then struck lucky with a second Indian further away from the concert area, enjoying a large mixed grill after fish pakora and an oversized keema nan. It all worked out and if anything my meal was a little too large, but it also kept me out of the rain and away from the food in the arena. I chatted briefly to a couple on the next table who'd driven all the way from Surrey and were planning to drive back afterwards. Sounds a bit mad, but they'd been unable to get tickets to see the guys at the Royal Albert Hall, so it was probably a decent choice for them. The gates had opened at 6pm and the rain had eased off. I walked to the castle and past the side of the it to find the entrance, and this felt like a sneaky trick to make us feel that we were attending a show at the castle. Certainly if they'd funnelled us by a different route without even glimpsing the castle they'd struggle to justify the false advertising. At least having the arena to the side avoided the castle being "ruined" by the show, as I can't really deny that the presence of the stage for Kraftwerk at Limerick's Castle had detracted from my general visit there. I took as many pictures as I could on the path past the castle, and despite the busy security area I got in fast, holding my phone and camera in my hands and not encountering any drama at all. There were tall and impressive trees and I took a lot of interest in assessing the skyline, but I'm fairly sure that there literally was no view of the castle from the arena, except potentially from the VIP area which I could not access anyway. Other artists playing Warwick "Castle" Live included Bryan Adams and Texas, and it wasn't as creditable as the Piece Hall line-ups. I'd arrived a bit before 7pm and the arena was already busy, and if it indeed still hadn't sold out I doubt that it was far from being a full house.

Near the back of the arena was a VIP entrance, which was the gardens inhabited by the peacocks, but I was quick to move forwards after seeing that the main areas looked busy. I stopped briefly for the urinals and then an ice cream man for a tub of Mr Whippy and a bottle of Coke to carry around. The food on offer seemed pretty decent, including fish and chips, Indian, Greek and even a van serving frozen cocktails. My phone battery was also holding up well, and in a strange quirk this seems to be substantially better since I had the screen replaced? As I approached it didn't seem as busy as I feared, and I moved in forwards from the left until I felt that I was a sensible distance from the stage to see the entire production. I made some notes on my phone and appreciated it now being dry. It was past 7pm and there was no sign of any support yet, so I'd timed my day very nicely and everything was working out wonderfully. I chatted for a bit to a couple behind me after spotting that the guy was wearing an Oasis tour t-shirt. He said that they were better than ever, and we also chatted about how concert food and drink has improved immeasurably over the last 10-15 years. I certainly agree with this, but the prices are still high and the plastic cups are an obstacle to my enjoyment that I doubt I'll be able to overcome. Also we discussed how expensive the t-shirts were and how concerts had totally replaced record sales as being the primary revenue stream for most musicians. I can rarely bring myself to pay the rip-off prices for t-shirts as I feel that the increase in ticket prices is severe enough as it is, but I've never believed that digital music has any inherent value to justify paying money for, and my favourite acts make their money from me through ticket sales plus my continued loyalty to CDs and even the occasional fancy record release. The DJ played Burn Baby Burn by Ash and Disco Inferno, but this DJ was anonymous and merely a warm-up to the billed set of Dave Pearce.

The first Dreamworld tour had featured no support at all, and Dave Pearce had been there at the NIA. And it's a shame that Pet Shop Boys hadn't treated us to a high quality support slot such as The Supernaturals, Lightning Seeds or The Bluetones. They're the names that spring to mind anyway as being of suitable stature to be a reasonable choice. And if there were more unsold tickets than I realised, the addition of a named support act could have really helped with this? Dave Pearce was reasonably entertaining and showed a moderately good taste in records, but I can't wrap my brain around him. The records are not his, so getting into it seems inappropriate as he is just taking credit for the work of other musicians? His backing screen just featured his name looping and rotating in a variety of ways, and it was very similar to his last set in 2024. I can't say if it was identical, but the high points of Children by Robert Miles and Insomnia by Faithless were the same as last time. It's funny because if I was DJing I could easily sustain a higher quality of tune. I shot two videos, the first being some fairly generic dance music to get a feel for it. He was wearing a cap and trying to persuade people to dance. My second video was just a short one to remind myself that he was playing Insomnia. He played with a blue banner in front of his decks saying Warwick Castle Live, and I did wonder if it was a coincidence that his two biggest tunes were both from artists who'd passed away fairly recently? Dave said that Chris from Pet Shop Boys was listening backstage, and at the end he helpfully confirmed that the band would be onstage in just 15 minutes. And yes it's fascinating really, he didn't do anything wrong, the tunes he played were alright, but it would have worked better as a DJ set where he was quietly tucked out of view, leading us to wonder why the quality of pre-band music was better arranged and planned than normal rather than feeling wrong to be applauding someone taking credit for songs that aren't his.

By now it was getting dark, and Dave's screen was removed and the stage swept to prepare for the main event. The two lamp posts were already present and correct and I suspected that there wasn't much to change over, and perhaps the difficulty of accommodating another band and their equipment is part of the reason why there wasn't a real support act? But in 2009 they'd played an equally theatrical show and it hadn't stopped them, so perhaps not? My phone reception was stubbornly awful, most likely due to the size of the crowd, but fortunately there wasn't long to wait for the main event, although I suspect that I lost a few sentences of this review when my phone failed to save amid the utter lack of reception. You'd think that in 2025 that they'd have found a solution to this problem, but apparently not? There were some cool laser tests but I was expecting a very similar production and setlist to last time, and for the most part I got precisely what I wanted to gain from the evening. At 8.32pm the music struck up, as a backdrop of the Ukraine flag dominated the video screens and smoke filled the stage. The crowd were cheering and clapping, with Chris's laptop up front and ready to go. I recorded this for two minutes before stopping after underestimating how long the build-up would be. Many fans were filming too, and so they should be as this is one hell of a production, and it's no surprise that fans can't get enough of it and the Pet Shop Boys are probably unsure how they can follow it, so just stick with it while they can. Like my last review, I recorded a bit of almost everything so I'll try not to keep mentioning that, also many of the elements are so similar to last time that I arguably could skip many of the details. But I'll keep writing, and will see what happens. A tease of It's A Sin quickly led into the introduction of Suburbia, as the stage was dark with white searchlights. There were screams as the screen lifted and the guys stood there with their trademark masks on, before stepping forward in time to the music and being illuminated just as the song kicked in. It's a brilliant way to start, and Suburbia belongs at or near the beginning of any self-respecting Pet Shop Boys setlist.

However literally the second the Pet Shop Boys appeared it suddenly started raining, and I cut my video a little short before my camera got too wet. Although my videos turned out well, my photos were quite hit and miss, and that's possibly due to water on the lens. It certainly justifies my decision to take 100s of pics though, as so many of them just don't turn out despite my best efforts. Next up was Can You Forgive Her?, which continued the black and white minimalist approach. Neil removed his mask to cheers at the start of Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money), and also I noted some colour appeared in the backdrop here too. At the time of writing this I also was polishing off my 2024 photos so was rewatching my 2024 Pet Shop Boys videos, and it's fascinating to spot little extra details while also seeing just how consistent the presentation and performance was to last time around. My video recording was great quality close-ups at this point before it got entirely dark, and so much for my initial thought that perhaps I'd just chill and not record everything! Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) was preceded by Neil's speech welcoming us to Dreamworld and namechecking as many songs as he could before adding "and where the streets have no name" as they burst into the song. He incited clapping and danced with one of the lamp posts, and the introduction was long and impressive and I shot some great close-up footage before Neil started roaming the stage and a twat hand also blocked my view a bit. It was great and I recorded all the way up until the Can't Take My Eyes Off You bit as Neil encouraged us to wave our hands. The structure of the show is so good, how the band gradually build up the production but also to a perfect level where the low-key elements feature enough energy and excitement to entirely work and not make me wish that they'd been saved for the fuller production part of the evening.

Hearing Rent live blew my mind the first time as it had been one of the very few tunes omitted in 2009, and the loveliness of the intro makes me wonder why it was ever left out. It belonged perfectly in the low production part of the set though, but by now there was more colour and also some video footage projected behind the band. My video captured some weird background noises which could have been the wind and rain, although my memory was that the weather calmed down after the brief flurry during Suburbia. I have nothing against I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More but it's one of the very few tunes that I was comfortable to not bother recording, whereas my opinion of So Hard is definitely shifting for the better. Stick men figures were marching across the screen and the footage was a little more minimalist again, making it harder to shoot. Compared to Being Boring - which I still struggle to appreciate having such a prominent place in the set - I'm certainly enjoying So Hard more as time goes on. But now was the turning point where the minimal production changed to a maximalist one, with the ever-brilliant Left To My Own Devices! Hammering and construction noises were played as hard hat construction workers pulled the lamp posts apart then Chris was illuminated on his high deck and the screen opened to unveil the full show and backing band. Unlike at Glastonbury, this all worked smoothly, and after an extended intro Neil reappeared, now wearing a black suit with a turban-like hat rather than the white lab coat he'd started with. I couldn't resist recording until the chorus as the lights built up, and this is equal to what Go West did in 2009 in transitioning the set to its full production value. Next up was the even better Single-Bilingual, before which Neil talked about the rain and mild weather contrasting with 30 degree heat when playing in Seville, and my video demonstrates that he made the same spoken reference to Discoteca before starting the song.

This time I recorded the entire number, plus the transition into Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is). The lights were awesome and there was a great break in the middle then Single-Bilingual continued a little longer, before bursting suddenly into Se A Vida É as I zoomed in on Neil singing. 1996 was the year I first got into Pet Shop Boys, and to see two tunes from that time given such a prominent and powerful position in the set is just wonderful. Domino Dancing was again preceded by their story about going on holiday to St Lucia in the 1980s with a friend who did a victory dance whenever he won at dominos. Again the song exceeded expectations with really cool red lights and Neil encouraging the crowd to sing to the chorus. I suspect that the rain on my lens interfered with the quality of my shots, but at least there were no unsightly splotches on my pics, and I also didn't break my phone again, so all worked out well. New York City Boy is one of those that I've never been too enthused by, but I was still impressed enough by the performance to record a bit of the dynamic mid section. This heralded the duller part of the show where previously the band had mixed things up a little, but this time it was shortened and that certainly helped. The Pop Kids was the only tune we got tonight that wasn't played last time around and it was an improvement on Loneliness for sure. A New Bohemia is pretty enough but much better was Jealousy, introduced as the first song that they ever wrote together, as Neil wrote lyrics over a tape provided by Chris. It was performed with yellow lights, and although I prefer the more theatrical performance from 2009 - which was so powerful that it made me like the song a lot more - it was still a great number.

The screen then descended again for Love Comes Quickly, but I think that Neil walked a little too slowly and had to rush the last bit, not quite coordinating his walk with the length of the song as well as expected. And that was the end of the quiet section, and I guess that the structure of the show is near-perfect, and the slight tightening up of the mid set was sufficient to fix it. Also the introduction of Paninaro was the revelation that single-handedly justified my return visit last time, and it again was a real highlight. It was great to hear Chris taking the lead and enjoying the yellow lights, and the lyrics referencing Armani are timely as Giorgio Armani passed away just five days after the show. I have a healthy contempt for the concept of fashion, but Pet Shop Boys are a rare band who make you interested in what they wear. For the normal person in the street though, fashion is just a lie designed to trick them into buying shit they don't need, and the concept that a real-life human being would actually look down on someone wearing "last years" fashion is so ludicrous that I really doubt it's a thing outside the world of celebrities and premieres. The way Paninaro exploded into Always On My Mind was possibly even better than the Single-Bilingual segue, and the crowd were delighted to hear the first number one hit of the evening. My video captured the idiot lady by me squawking far too loudly to the lyrics, but when Neil got the fans to sing the chorus in a call and response moment, shouted "Warwick!" and got us all clapping it was just perfect. I'm so happy that this glorious song was a Christmas number one, keeping the hideously overrated Fairytale Of New York off number one. Dreamland confused me a little with the It's A Sin intro it borrows, and that I think is the only reason that I keep recording it. I'd been getting a little confused if the tour was called Dreamland or Dreamworld, thankfully both seem correct to say but Land is the song and World is the tour, much as Super Mario World is far more epic than Super Mario Land. Also without that twat Olly Alexander singing with them, it's a much better song.

Around this point the rain was swept off the stage, with Neil kindly letting us know that this service was being provided at no extra charge to us. He'd also changed into a silver coat and sunglasses, precisely mirroring the previous performance. It was good, but I must admit that I stopped recording the moment I realised that it wasn't It's A Sin. But it did provide another excellent segue into Heart, which I'd forgotten about but the moment I heard it I could tell where this was going. Neil encouraged clapping and there was a wonderful small pause after the "beat" loop before he launched into the verse. Afterwards Neil said that they loved that one, and I wonder if he was sincere as I've got the idea somewhere that they despise Heart? Maybe I've imagined that, as they either love it or have such a positive attitude and regard for their fans that they do a Country House and just embrace it. The backing lady singer again came upfront and danced around the right lamp post to duet with Neil for What Have I Done To Deserve This?, and I shot a close-up video but struggled to focus as it was a dark tune apart from the spotlights. I do enjoy how cautiously the hard hat roadies push the lamp posts together and then apart though, and my video did eventually come into focus for the chorus, also capturing Chris in the background on the decks above them. By now Neil had discarded his sunglasses too. The last lull then came up with It's Alright followed by Vocal, but both are solid tunes, and again Vocal just sounded more exciting than it had any right to be, featuring great lights and defying expectations to sit comfortably alongside the bigger/older numbers at the business end of the setlist. And where else could Pet Shop Boys end than with It's A Sin, which I recorded from near the intro to the first chorus, capturing red lights and flashes as it burst beautifully into life. The band left the stage, but I had no doubt at all that they'd be back.

I was a little confused though as they hadn't played Go West, and I'm shocked to report that it was left out of the set. The band finished absolutely promptly at the advertised finish time of 10.30pm, and I initially presumed that they'd ran out of time or made a mistake, so I'm shocked to see that it has been dropped entirely from their set since 2024! I'm baffled by this, it goes down an absolute storm and its omission overshadows the otherwise near definitive and glorious set. Unfortunately this mistake has cost Pet Shop Boys a 9.5/10 score here, and it's a shame because otherwise I'd have rated this set as their best yet, but in the end it's pretty much level with the others due to this. I had hoped that Pet Shop Boys had decided to finally dump Being Boring and finish gloriously with Go West, but as expected they returned with West End Girls, which I recorded from black darkness before the lights appeared. The music remained incredibly similar to the 2009 version, but it's so definitive that I even include this on my Pet Shop Boys compilation over the original studio recording. Neil changed one line to be from Mariupol to the Kyiv station, and this coupled with the Ukraine flag at the start clearly shows their taking the right side of history on this issue. Neil and Chris this time appeared from opposite sides of the stage, now dressed in black. I love how this represents a return to the minimal style that they opened with, and each time I see the Dreamworld tour I better appreciate just how carefully thought out the show is. Chris was still wearing a cap of course and this is the best possible way to begin an encore. And Pet Shop Boys finished in traditional manner with Being Boring, which I recorded from near the start as I was in a good mood. The backdrop featured lots of lamp posts coming into view, but it was dark again and difficult to focus, as the production had come full circle back to its opening configuration.

I was a little shocked when the band exited the stage and I realised that we wouldn't be hearing Go West at all tonight, and it's a shame as they opened their Pop/Art compilation with it and used it as the transition song into the full production segment of their 2009 tour. Although I can't find confirmation, I can only assume its omission is because The Village People have allowed themselves to be associated with that orange fuckwit in America? Neil said that this was the last night of this leg of the tour, and Google tells me that they resume in Japan in January 2026, after a well-deserved break. There is no sign of the Dreamworld tour ending, and it's also tricky to envisage how they could follow it. Looking at their setlist history, Pet Shop Boys actually fail to play their biggest hits quite a lot, so I'm lucky to have seen them play in "greatest hits mode" four times, even though the 2009 tour was not advertised as such. I turned round to exit the venue, and there was no communication whatsoever apart from one steward shouting at us to use the left exit, which was the opposite way to what I wanted and would have robbed me of night views of the castle. I saw the distant night lights of St Mary's Church switch off as I walked back and the exit was painfully slow, making it good that I didn't have a particular hurry to get back. Once I escaped the arena I stopped a few times on the way back past the castle, as it was lit up fetchingly in blue and I doubted that I'd get the chance to see that again unless I timed my next visit to be in winter. I changed my alarm for the next day to be as late as possible while still allowing for my 9am swim, and the queue to leave the car park was insane as everyone was trying to turn right and the roads were gridlocked. This is the point where I realised that parking at the back of the car park wasn't the best choice, but I'd been so stoked to park without any fuss that I hadn't thought any deeper. After barely moving for a long time the crowds gradually cleared and I made it home two hours after the 10.30 finish, which was longer than desired but still acceptable to not mess up my morning routine and to justify not staying overnight. I did however skip my visit into Birmingham to explore the trail of Bull statues, which I also skipped the following Sunday after doing half of them on the Saturday preceding it. A successful day, a good show and my respect for Pet Shop Boys continues to grow.
Setlist
Suburbia
Can You Forgive Her?
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)
Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
Rent
I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More
So Hard
Left To My Own Devices
Single-Bilingual
Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)
Domino Dancing
Dancing Star
New York City Boy
The Pop Kids
A New Bohemia
Jealousy
Love Comes Quickly
Paninaro
Always On My Mind
Dreamland
Heart
What Have I Done To Deserve This?
It's Alright
Vocal
It's A Sin
West End Girls
Being Boring

Mark: 9.0/10