Pet Shop Boys: the hits and some misses in the headline slot

Pet Shop Boys are a perfect choice for a Friday-night headliner, and after a 25-minute delay building anticipation, the appear to massive cheers. The unmistakable sound they create was only broken by a shout-out to the Electric Picnic crowd during the first few minutes. This is an band with a voice all of its own, but the emphasis was on some beautifully constructed visuals and dancers. The projections and costumes – giant black feathers, gold yeti dancers on pogo sticks, huge horned animal masks – were all gorgeous to look at, but the Boys took their time in bashing out the hits. The crowd's patience was rewarded with West End Girls, Money and Domino Dancing, but there were lulls in how the set list was constructed for a headline slot at a festival.

It's clear that the aesthetic of the show were well thought out, but the crowd began to thin out when it was clear this wasn't a jukebox set, and that atmosphere was further hampered by a low sounding main stage volume. It's A Sin came crashing in brilliantly, and an encore of Go West united the audience, but for a show that promised loads for all, it left the neutral wandering off.