Review: Pet Shop Boys at The O2

From the vanguard of electro to national treasures, the Pet Shop Boys' arrival at The O2 felt appropriate.

Mass consumption and credibility have sat together comfortably throughout the pop odyssey of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.

Their futurist ethos and successive reinventions have sustained them, while a loveable humility ensures their place in the country's hearts.

On Friday, the duo flipped easily from the anthemic karaoke to the experimental - as an act they embrace Go West and Always On My Mind as much as the seminal West End Girls.

Cerebral exponents of their art, their minimalist movement set against frantic onstage dancers gives them a contrived live cool.

The show's Latin effervescence set a rhythm and carnival continuity that endured the whole night.

Opening with Heart, Tennant was clad in an sci-fi suit and City bowler hat, with Lowe's gadgetry encased by kitsch but cute 70s disco lights.

Epic performances of the melodramatic It's A Sin, Suburbia and Left To My Own Devices were all superbly crafted for such a big venue, while the uplifting Se a vida é made absolutely sure that we all remember music is supposed to be enjoyed.

The immaculate recent hit Love etc, sublime and simplistic in Pet Shop tradition, slotted in without missing a beat while the moving ballad Jealousy added an emotive dimension to a triumphant night.

An unlikely highlight was a cover of Coldplay's Viva la Vida - layers of suave synth adding a camp sparkle to the middle England favourites' composition.

The Pet Shop Boys return to The O2 at Christmas - don't rule out a Tennant take on the similarly ethereal Walking In The Air.