After completing a degree in history at the Polytechnic of North London, Neil takes a job at Marvel Comics, anglicizing spellings and indicating where over-risque woman needed to be redrawn decently. While there he interviews comic fan Marc Bolan, who politely points out that his tape recorder wasn’t working. In 1977 he works at Macdonald Educational Publishing, later moving to ITV Books. In June 1982, he joins Smash Hits.
The Pet Shop Boys perform in Belfast.
They record in two studios today: ‘It Always Comes as a Surprise’ at Sarm West and ‘The Survivors’ at Angel Studios.
The Release Tour comes to Barcelona.
Neil presents the BP Portrait Award to painter Dean Marsh at the UK’s National Portrait Gallery.
The Boys perform at the Rockhal in Luxembourg.
As reported on their official website, while traveling on tour from Manchester to Cardiff, Chris and Neil stop for lunch by the river Severn in Worcester.
Their equipment now ‘un-muted,’ Chris and Neil work on but then scrap a disco version of ‘I Started a Joke.’ They then write the music for a new song, ‘In His Imagination.’
In Barcelona for their upcoming appearance at the Sónar Festival, the Boys help kick off the festival by performing a special abbreviated version of their current Electric Tour show exclusively for competition winners and invited guests.
The Electric Tour comes to the LG Arena in Birmingham, U.K.
Although it is almost canceled on account of stormy weather, the Pet Shop Boys’ Dreamworld Tour show in Rome proceeds as planned. Later on their website they describe it as ‘so much fun.’