From the British music industry journal, “Music Week”: Pet Shop Boys are facing a close battle with Ronan Keating as they look to score their first number one album in the UK in more than 15 years. The duo’s new Parlophone-issued album “Yes” is presently around 1,200 units ahead of Keating’s Polydor release “Songs For My Mother”, according to early retail reports, but the story is made more complicated by the PSB album having accidentally ended up on iTunes three days early last week. It is understood around 2,500 sales of the album achieved on the Apple site following its premature release there last Friday will not count towards this coming week’s chart as they will be recognised as sales from last week instead. Pet Shop Boys, who won the outstanding contribution award at this year’s Brits, have only topped the albums chart once before. “Very” reached number one in October 1993.
Pet Shop Boys today release “SMASH — The Singles 1985–2020” – the complete collection of their singles in chronological order.
Recent Pet Texts
More Dreamworld tour merchandise, including a windbreaker, a tee shirt and a water bottle, is now available in the official Pet Shop Boys store. Link to order below.
We are today launching a series of classic live performances of some of Pet Shop Boys’ most famous songs. Originally filmed during the 1991 “Performance” tour, “West End girls (Live in Birmingham)” is now available to watch on YouTube at the link below.
I loved visiting Charleston House in East Sussex today, both a refuge and a workplace of the Bloomsbury Group. Information at the link below. Neil x
Tickets for Pet Shop Boys’ Dreamworld shows in Santiago de Chile and Lima are now on sale at the links below.
I just enjoyed seeing Paul McCartney’s photographs of the view from within Beatlemania, recently rediscovered and now splendidly exhibited at the newly-reopened National Portrait Gallery in London. (Link below.) Neil
It looks like a giant bear is floating in the sky! Neil
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was today sentenced to a 19-year prison sentence in a trial reminiscent of the Soviet era. Navalny has already suffered poisoning and is still serving a nine-year prison sentence for his opposition activities which include producing a film about Putin’s corruption. Link to the film below.
There’s nothing like an English summer! Neil x