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”.
The Pet Shop Boys are interviewed by ‘Max Headroom’ at a live appearance in London—a performance during which Chris plays trombone onstage.
Johnny Marr plays guitar on ‘Home and Dry.’
The Boys perform at the Benicassim Festival near Valencia, Spain.
Although it has already been released in a few scattered countries over the past several days, today is regarded as the official release date of the new PSB single, ‘Winner.’
The Pet Shop Boys perform this evening in Manila—their first-ever concert in the Philippines. Chris, a boxing fan, posts on their website how thrilled he is to be performing at the same venue where the legendary ‘Thrilla in Manila’ bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier occurred on October 1, 1975.
An ‘EP’ of the six songs performed by Frances Barber and Pet Shop Boys featured in the new cabaret stage show Musik is released today as a digital download and on streaming services.