Thanks to Private Eye magazine for drawing our attention to this disgraceful fact. 

Today is the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. This evening BBC TV in the UK will broadcast The Last Musician of Auschwitz, a film telling the story of cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch who, along with other victims of the camp — Jews, Poles and Roma — played and created music amidst the terrors of the Holocaust. Together they show how, amid the most brutal and dehumanising situations, music could be a lifeline, a way to give testimony and even a means of resistance.

Pet Shop Boys have recently passed 2 million followers on Spotify and 1 million followers on YouTube! Thanks to everyone who’s been listening to our music. xx 

Photo: Eva Pentel

A gay man in Russia, Andrei Kotov, arrested for running a gay travel agency and then tortured, has died in pre-trial detention. Organising any activity in Russia involving LGBTQ+ people is defined as “extremist”. We send our condolences to Andrei’s friends and family and to all LGBTQ+ people in Russia. Link to full story below. 

We have today received the sad news that Jack Bond, the director of our feature film, “It Couldn’t Happen Here” and the videos for “Always on my mind” and “Heart”, died yesterday. Jack had a distinguished career making both feature films and documentaries. He supervised the Blu-ray re-release of our film in 2020 by the British Film Institute and, during a meeting about it, suggested making another film with us! He was a warm and funny man who we very much enjoyed working with and we send our love and condolences to his family and those close to him. x

A signed pair of Neil’s Celine shoes are being auctioned as part of the “Celebrity Shoe Auction 2024”, organised by the Small Steps Project. The auction closes on Thursday, 19 December, with proceeds supporting the children’s charity, which provides shoes and emergency aid to children living on landfill sites around the world. Place your bid now via the link below. Happy Christmas!

A new film, “Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped” will be broadcast on Saturday evening, December 14, on BBC2 TV in the UK. The film includes an interview with Neil who interviewed George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley when he worked for Smash Hits magazine in the early 80s. More information at the link below.

A new limited collection of Pet Shop Boys T‑shirts and hoodies, made in collaboration with Anti Social Social Club, is now exclusively available from their official Amazon Music store (USA only). Link to order below.