Pet Shop Boys Voted Out Of Moscow Gig Due To Election

11/23/07 5:30pm

by Jason MacNeil (CHARTattack)

British dance-pop act Pet Shop Boys have been forced to cancel their upcoming show in Moscow for a rather bizarre reason.

According to the group's website, Moscow promoters for the Dec. 2 show were informed earlier this month that due to Russia holding parliamentary elections on the same day, "they have been instructed in a letter received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the government of Moscow that all entertainment events for Dec. 2 are forbidden."

The group were notified of the decision on Nov. 14 and were unable to find a new venue or a substitute date for the show.

"Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are very disappointed and somewhat surprised by this sudden announcement and must apologize to their Russian fans for this cancellation which is out of our control," said a statement from the Pet Shop Boys.

The Moscow show, originally planned for Nov. 7, was supposed to be the group's final show on their Fundamental world tour that began in June 2006. However, they'll now wrap things up with a show in Romania on Sunday.

The Pet Shop Boys are expected to begin writing songs for a new studio album after the tour, but they continue to release rare tracks and remixes on their site. One of the latest offerings is a remix of "It's A Sin" that was previously only available on a 1993 compilation assembled by Britain's Radio One.