Thousands of people walked from the Arsenal Emirates stadium through the streets of Islington, North London, this morning in tribute to Dainton Connell, a.k.a. “The Bear”. In a remarkable scene, more like a state funeral than a private internment, Holloway Road was closed by the police to allow the procession to take place. Then mourners including Chris Lowe, Neil Tennant, ex-Arsenal footballers Ian Wright and Lee Dixon, Little Britain stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams, boxer Frank Bruno, journalist and broadcaster Janet Street-Porter, artist Sam Taylor-Wood, singer Sylvia Mason-James, and hundreds of friends and Arsenal supporters joined Dainton’s wife and family for the funeral service at St Mary Magdalane Church conducted by three vicars, including the priest who married Dainton and his wife Mandy 31 years ago. Past and present PSB managers David Dorrell, Mitch Clark and Jill Carrington were also present, along with members of the Lowe and Tennant families. Chris Lowe read from The Bible (Revelation 21: 1–7) as part of the service. The service was broadcast via speakers to a huge crowd standing outside the church in bright sunshine.
We would like, once again, to thank all fans and friends who have sent messages of condolence and flowers. Further reports of the funeral can be found at the links below.
Farewell to The Bear
A few last-minute tickets for all five nights of “Obscure Pet Shop Boys” have become available! They will be released tomorrow, Wednesday 25th March at 10AM GMT via the link below.
Recent News
Pet Shop Boys are pleased to announce that they’ve joined Russell T Davies as executive producers for “It’s A Sin”, a new dance show adaptation of the award-winning Channel 4 series of the same name, now in development at the world-renowned UK dance company, Rambert.
Pet Shop Boys are pleased to announce that they will be headlining Magdalena en Vivo Festival in Santander, Spain on Saturday, 25th July.
Pet Shop Boys are delighted to announce that special guests Scissor Sisters will also be on the bill at Lytham Festival on Saturday, 4th July 2026, along with a DJ set by Dave Pearce.
Pet Shop Boys today release on Blu-ray/2CD their concert film “Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live at the Royal Arena Copenhagen”, which is now available to buy exclusively through the official store.
After a magical evening at Viña del Mar, Pet Shop Boys have decided to perform a special club show at Teatro Caupolicán in Santiago at 9 pm on Saturday, February 28.
MUSIK, the acclaimed one-woman show starring Frances Barber, written by Jonathan Harvey with songs by PSB, is coming to cinemas across the UK on April 9 and 12 for a special big-screen release.
Featuring a new introduction by Jon Savage, the paperback edition of One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem by Neil Tennant will be published by Faber & Faber on 26 March.
200 hand-signed copies by Neil are available to purchase now via the link below, limited to one book per customer.
Pet Shop Boys are pleased to announce a series of Dreamworld shows across Europe this summer.