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 original version of ‘Opportunities’ is released as a single.
The Pet Shop Boys drop out from this year’s Roskilde Festival because nine attendees had died the day before during Pearl Jam’s set.
In the wake of England’s loss to Portugal and elimination from the World Cup competition, BBC Sports airs a montage using the Boys’ ‘Numb’ as background music.
Chris and Neil—or, more accurately, their avatars—perform as part of SecondFest, a three-day music festival taking place in Second Life, an ‘online 3D virtual reality world.’
They meet with their manager, Angela Becker, to play songs they have recently composed and to discuss possible producers for their next album. This same evening, the film of the Tennant-Lowe ballet The Most Incredible Thing has its world television broadcast debut on BBC4.
The Boys perform in Dortmund, Germany.
Neil and Chris are interviewed this evening on the BBC Radio 4 arts program Front Row.
They perform this evening at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin.
Chris and Neil bring the 2023 leg of their Dreamworld Tour to the continent with their appearance in Cologne, Germany.
The Boys perform this evening in Prague.