Lowe and behold, a date not to missed at the Empress Ballroom

At least, for one half of electronic pop duo Pet Shop Boys, the end of a sell-out run of UK shows will be a chance to head back to his Blackpool roots.

The band has announced two new dates for its Super Tour, which will see resort-born keyboard player Chris Lowe and his musical partner Neil Tennant take to the stage of the Empress Ballroom.

They embark on the tour on Saturday at Leeds’ First Direct Arena.

Due to the high demand for tickets, the pair have now added another two dates, playing the Empress Ballroom on Wednesday, June 21, as well as Nottingham’s Motor Point Arena the following night.

The tour will see Pet Shop Boys perform songs from their acclaimed new album ‘Super’, as well as classic hits and album tracks from their entire career.

It has been staged by long-term Pet Shop Boys designer Es Devlin and choreographer Lynne Page and the live arrangements were created together with Stuart Price, who produced the Super album.

For the last 25 years, the duo have been regarded as innovators of the modern live music show, incorporating multimedia and theatrical elements into their productions.

Blackpool-born Lowe has become well-known for his trademark sunglasses and understated stage presence, rarely interacting with the audience and often standing still while playing keyboards.

The 57-year-old attended Arnold School, where he learned to play trombone, joining a seven-piece dance band called One Under the Eight. While he has since become more well-known for his prowess behind the keyboards, he did play the trombone on Pet Shop Boys track ‘I Want a Lover’.

The announcement comes as the band is due to collect the ‘Godlike Genius’ gong at tonight’s NME Awards, which is awarded to ‘musical pioneers.

Previous recipients include U2, Primal Scream, Blondie, The Cure and last year’s winners, Coldplay.

NME editor-in-chief Mike Williams said: “For three decades, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have been pushing the boundaries of pop music, releasing a series of consistently excellent singles and albums and working to blur the boundaries between art, music and social commentary”.

Pet Shop Boys have previously received the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Brits in 2009 and been listed as the most successful duo in UK music history by the The Guinness Book of Records after selling more than 50 million records worldwide.

• Tickets for the show at the Blackpool Empress Ballroom go on general sale this Friday, February 17, at 10am via www.seetickets.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

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