Watch Olly Alexander perform with Pet Shop Boys at Glastonbury 2022
Two generations of queer pop icon came together to bring Glastonbury to a stirring climax on Sunday.
By Will Stroude
Words: Will Stroude; Image: BBC
Olly Alexander helped Pet Shop Boys bring Glasotnbury 2022 to a super-gay close on Sunday night (26 June) as the Years & Years star joined the legendary electro-pop duo on stage for an exhilarating performance.
Fresh from performing on Glastonbury’s Other Stage earlier in the evening, Alexander, 31, teamed up with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe for a rousing rendition of the pair’s 2019 collaboration ‘Dreamland, which was released as the lead single from Pet Shop Boys’ fourteenth studio album, Hotspot.
What a moment 🧡@alexander_olly joined @petshopboys for this spectacular performance of Dreamland on the Other Stage.
Watch on @BBCiPlayer | Listen on @BBCSounds pic.twitter.com/S0e0QX1MFz
— BBC Radio 2 (@BBCRadio2) June 26, 2022
Having performed a cover of Pet Shop Boys’ ‘It’s a Sin’ during his set just hours earlier, Alexander returned to the stage to treat the Glastonbury crowd to a special duet with the song’s originators.
Inspired by Tennant’s time at a Newcastle Catholic school, ‘It’s a Sin’ was originally released in 1987 and has remained a queer anthem ever since, with the title used for Russell T Davies’ acclaimed 2021 LGBTQ drama exploring the impact of the AIDS crisis, in which Alexander also starred.
Watch the original video for Pet Shop Boys’ ‘It’s a Sin’ below: