The Pet Shop Boys ticked all the right boxes with a spectacular show at the BIC, last night. (Tues July 20).

Pop supremos Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe began by wearing boxes on their heads.

The dancers occasionally wore boxes. And a wall of boxes formed the centrepiece of a stunning set.

They were thrown, scattered and even suspended during the one-hour 40-minute performance.

The elaborate show – part of the Pandemonium Tour - was a feast for all the senses.

The music, the dancing, the movable set, the pulsating lights and an excellent large scale film show – sometimes arty, sometimes simple, but always engaging.

The synth experience began with Heart and ended with a deserved encore and West End Girls.

In between the hits kept coming – a lively Go West, a hand-clapping Always on My Mind, a barnstorming It’s a Sin complete with confetti cannons, the excellent Suburbia and What Have I Done to Deserve This? with film of the late, great Dusty Springfield singing the backing vocals.

We also had liberal sprinklings of songs from their latest hit album Yes.

Neil had several costume changes, once returning as a king to sing Domino Dancing merged with Coldplay’s Viva La Vida.

At times futuristic, on other occasions more traditional, sometimes introspective, on others warm and colourful. You just can’t put the masters of intelligent electro pop into boxes.

Sophie Ellis Bextor was an excellent support act. Sporting a little black outfit, she breezed through her hits in a fine 50-minute set.