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 Boys perform in Houston. Their renditions this evening of ‘Always on My Mind’ and ‘Being Boring’ later appear on the ‘You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk’ single.
They travel to Cuba on holiday with friends.
BBC Radio 2 airs the first half of an interview/popumentary, Pet Shop Boys, Really.
Resuming their brief series of ‘Fundamental tour addendum’ concerts in Spain, Chris and Neil travel by train from Barcelona to Valencia, where they perform this evening at the Greenspace Festival.
An hour-long show that the Boys have produced and pre-recorded for Berlin-based Radio Eins—part of a series entitled Freundliche Übernahme (‘Friendly Takeover’)—is broadcast this evening. It consists of music chosen, sequenced, and introduced by Neil and Chris. Meanwhile, they bring their Super Tour tonight to Portland, Oregon.
The ‘Dreamland’ single, previously released in streaming and digital formats, is released in physical formats today.