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Nods to PSB history in the "A New Bohemia" video

The music video for "A New Bohemia," directed by avowed Pet Shop Boys fan Andrew Haigh, contains quite a few undoubtedly intentional visual references to the "PSB past," including:

  1. "BOY" caps worn by Chris (many instances from PSB history, perhaps most notably the sleeve of "Love Comes Quickly") and a few other characters, not to mention one or two BOY t-shirts as well
  2. Neil walking around being followed by Chris, reminiscent of the "West End Girls" video
  3. Neil wearing a bowtie and tuxedo, à la the iconic Actually cover, the "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" video, and portions of of It Couldn't Happen Here
  4. A guy playing the trombone, just as Chris does briefly in the video for "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (and which he can play in "real life")
  5. Russell Tovey wearing a tight wool cap and a "bomber jacket," much as Chris was dressed in the "Rent" video and much of It Couldn't Happen Here
  6. The older gentleman wearing a smoking jacket and velvet hat, again reminiscent of a chararcter in the music video for "Rent"
  7. Bouquets of roses, as from the cover of Behaviour
  8. Two mustached men wearing bright-colored bowler hats and carrying umbrellas, evoking one of the Boys' costumes in the Performance show and related materials
  9. A "showgirl" in pink feathers in the roller disco, seemingly from the "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" and/or the "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" videos
  10. The concluding scene on the steps in front of the Dreamland amusement park entrance, bringing the song "Dreamland" to mind
  11. The guest appearance of artist Tracey Emin, which references the "unmade bed" line in the song "A New Bohemia" itself (one of her most famous works being a representation of an unmade bed)

And, though it may be a stretch—

  1. The roller disco scenes, which recall the "Winner" roller derby video
  2. The Boys standing amidst a group of dancers as in several videos, including "Was It Worth It?" "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk," "New York City Boy," and "Monkey Business."

 

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