On August 19th, Neil and Chris meet by chance in an electronics shop on the Kings Road. Realizing they have a common interest in dance music, they begin to write together. Initially they call themselves West End; later they come up with the name Pet Shop Boys, a name derived from some friends who work in a pet shop in Ealing. “We thought it sounded like an English rap group”.
‘Domino Dancing,’ the Pet Shop Boys’ last Top 20 single in the U.S., hits its #18 peak. (Interestingly, it will prove to be the only song to peak at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the entire year of 1988.)
Their first concert film, Highlights, is released on VHS.
On their official website, Neil and Chris state that they’ve been in a North London church hall this week with a choreographer and dancers ‘work-shopping’ some of the music they’ve written for a possible ballet ‘to see how they work together.’
Yes is nominated for a Grammy Award as the Best Electronic/Dance Album of 2009. Meanwhile, the Boys perform this evening at Tesla Arena in Prague.