Neil plays in a group in Newcastle called Dust: Their most popular song is a preposterous affair he has written called “Can you hear the dawn break?”. They are heavily influenced by The Incredible String Band. “We were convinced we would become terribly famous. It was a very kind of stoned seventies but we used to think it was absolutely brilliant at the time”.
The Boys begin recording ‘Paninaro’ at Abbey Road. (They will continue working on it for the next two days, and then some more in mid-August.)
Continuing their Release world tour, Neil and Chris are in transit from yesterday’s performance in Nigita, Japan, to tomorrow’s performance in Singapore.
Human League singer Phil Oakey records his guest vocals for ‘This Used to Be the Future.’
The Pet Shop Boys perform a three-song set at Wimbledon before the start of the Olympics tennis matches there. With specially prepared backdrop videos, they perform ‘Always on My Mind,’ ‘What Have I Done to Deserve This?’ and their new single ‘Winner.’
The albums Nightlife, Release, and Fundamental are reissued today, remastered and with bonus ‘Further Listening’ discs boasting many additional tracks. On this same day, the Boys perform at the Storsjöyran Festival in Östersund, Sweden.
The Pet Shop Boys conclude their second four-night stand at London’s Royal Opera House with tonight’s concert.