The Gazette’s Give Us A Tune appeal: Pet Shop Boys in tune with keyboard gift

Electro-pop band The Pet Shop Boys – including Blackpool-born member Chris Lowe – have backed our campaign to leave a lasting musical legacy in the resort.

Chris, along with band mate Neil Tennant, have given a keyboard to Blackpool Music Academy as we bid to donate 50 instruments and £20,000 to subsidise music lessons at the Waterloo Road-based centre.

Chris told The Gazette: “I’m happy to help a little with this worthwhile project. Very best wishes for the rest of the campaign.”

Chris, who studied at Arnold School in Lytham Road, South Shore, shot to fame as part of The Pet Shop Boys in the 1980s with tracks including West End Girls, It’s A Sin and Always On My Mind.

The pair have won numerous Brit Awards, including the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Prize in 2009.

The pair will appear at the Tres Sesenta Music Festival in Pamplona, Spain, this Saturday before continuing to tour Europe this summer.

Give Us A Tune – how to donate

In April we launched our campaign for readers to provide 50 instruments for the Waterloo Road-based academy as well as donate £20,000 to subsidise music lessons for students.

So far 32 instruments have been donated with support from a host of famous names including Radio One DJ Danny Howard, singer Little Boots and West End star Jodie Prenger. Anyone interested in supporting us can drop instruments off at the Academy in Waterloo Road, Blackpool. To donate money to the Academy, visit www.blackpoolmusicacademy.com or for more information contact (01253) 695398.