It’s not often that a top pop act comes to the wilds of Suffolk, so it was with great expectation that I booked our tickets for the Newmarket Nights event tonight, which featured the Pet Shop Boys.
The format of a Newmarket Nights evening is simple: a few hours of racing, followed by a concert from a well-known act. And of course, with the home of horse racing being only 30 miles or so away from Ipswich, it is very easy to get to.
Never having been to the races before, I was excited about that, but this was topped further by the prospect of a concert by one of my favourite musical groups. I’ve followed the career of the electro duo for many years, and saw them for the first time last year, coincidentally again in East Anglia. Thetford Forest provided the open air aspect in 2006, and with support from the brilliant Lorraine, and a bright, visual, and rousing show, I was expecting another fun night out.
But first, the racing.
Until tonight, I’ve never really understood how the betting process works, and was bewildered by the ever-changing odds. A quick explanation soon helped, though, and after checking out the form and watching the previous race, we placed a Tote ‘place’ bet of £2.00. A modest payout would then be made if the bet upon horse was placed in the top three finishers.
To make things easier to understand, I bet on the horse which was favourite to win, while Nik bet on the next supposed front-runner. Walking back to the grandstand, we settled down to watch the final parts of the race unfold in front of us. It’s exciting to watch a race in which you haven’t bet, but that excitement is heightened once you do have money literally riding on the outcome.
To my total surprise, the favourite did get placed, and though not first, brought me home an extra £3.40. Flushed with success, we had another go, and though not lucky this time around, we still enjoyed the anticipation and excitement it gave us. At least I did win something; both Nik’s horses missed out on being placed, and the ones he thought would win in other races (and did), he never bet upon.
Doh!
The post-racing entertainment was, of course, provided by the concert. When you think of a live show by the evergreen pop duo, ‘visual’ probably isn’t a word that would instantly spring to mind. But, very visual it was, and while the PSBs’ electro soundscapes wafted over the old buildings of Newmarket and into the Suffolk skies in spectacular style, the stage was a riot of colour, costume, and choreography, largely courtesy of lurid outfits and big-screen projections.
Sounding as good as before, and as good as their studio albums (but with live vocals), they certainly know how to give the audience a good time. That audience was mixed too; oldies danced and sang alongside youngies, and had a good tine. A trio of obnoxious bankers (they kept pointing at themselves at any mention of money during ‘Opportunities’) in front of us who thought they were in ‘Heaven’ circa 1992 with flailing arms, and silly bottom and hip rotations, were certainly losing themselves in the music.
All the hits were there, my own personal favourites being the ‘Minimal/Shopping’ mix, and they all stood up to scrutiny and a live performance very well. Album tracks for the most recent long-player ‘Fundamental’ heralded something new, while over half of the content from 1987’s ‘Actually’ provided hits of the old. (Both albums are incidentally two of my favourites, with ‘Actually’ probably their finest work).
As the last note and applause filled the night sky, our thoughts turned to what a very enjoyable evening it had been. And, as Messrs Tennant and Lowe may have sung, it would have been a sin to miss it.