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 sign to Atlantic Records in America—a relationship that will endure for exactly one album (Bilingual) and its associated singles.
An exhibition titled It’s Not Only Rock ‘n’ Roll, Baby! opens as part of the BOZAR Expo at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels. Highlighting collaborative efforts between musicians and artists, it includes two PSB videos: ‘Home and Dry’ and ‘London.’
On the U.K. TV show Totally Saturday, hosted by Graham Norton, the Pet Shop Boys perform both their first and their current hits: ‘West End Girls’ and ‘Did You See Me Coming?’
They bring their Electric Tour show to Manchester—the second of only two dates scheduled at this time for the U.K.