Three pairs of Pet Shop Boys appeared through the neon-lit entrance centre stage at the start of a two-hour extravaganza that brought fun back to the band who are known these days less for their pop than their arty endeavours. For their first British tour in five years, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe returned to the camp costumes, daft dance moves and sheer silliness of their heyday and pulled off perhaps the slickest show of their two decade-plus career.

Live, Pet Shop Boys’ problem has always been their lack of activity on stage, hence distracting sets from the likes of the cutting-edge architect Zaha Hadid and Sam Taylor-Wood. This time – with a show given its premiere at the Tower of London last summer and since taken around the world – they had dancing doppelgängers to do the hard graft, a surreal sight in itself, and opted for a mix of musical theatre and disco.

The trio of Tennants in top hats and tails and the Lowes in shades, baseball caps and anoraks were initially tricky to tell apart, but soon showcased their own special skills. One pair blended ballet, breakdancing and acrobatics, another mirrored each others’ moves and provided backing vocals, while the real McCoy set about cherry-picking the best of their vast back catalogue and tracks from last year’s acclaimed Fundamental album.

An opening salvo segued the slick new number God Willing into a cover of My Robot Friend’s We Are The Pet Shop Boys and a lightly reworked Left to My Own Devices that had the crowd clapping along. Tennant promised an evening of “electronic entertainment”, but at its best the show was pure pantomime, with fans on their feet, squealing in delight as the dancers became scuffling street hoodies for Suburbia, city slickers for Shopping, carnival kids for Se A Vida E and gold Lycra-clad cowboys for a rave revamp of The Streets Have No Name.

A female vocalist in ludicrous headgear gave Tennant’s detached delivery a gutsy soul foil, while props included giant, cardboard cut-out half heads and a screen that stretched the length of the stage showing specially commissioned films. Lowe was left alone for the techno-funk Paninaro, on which he even sang vocals. Tennant played guitar from a table for the tender ballad Home & Dry, and when the night neared its close in a riot of glitzy military uniforms, the only quibble was which of their two dozen hits had been the highlight.

*The tour continues at Brighton Centre (01273 290131), tomorrow

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