Neil plays in a group in Newcastle called Dust: Their most popular song is a preposterous affair he has written called “Can you hear the dawn break?”. They are heavily influenced by The Incredible String Band. “We were convinced we would become terribly famous. It was a very kind of stoned seventies but we used to think it was absolutely brilliant at the time”.
The Pet Shop Boys perform in Belfast.
They record in two studios today: ‘It Always Comes as a Surprise’ at Sarm West and ‘The Survivors’ at Angel Studios.
The Release Tour comes to Barcelona.
Neil presents the BP Portrait Award to painter Dean Marsh at the UK’s National Portrait Gallery.
The Boys perform at the Rockhal in Luxembourg.
As reported on their official website, while traveling on tour from Manchester to Cardiff, Chris and Neil stop for lunch by the river Severn in Worcester.
Their equipment now ‘un-muted,’ Chris and Neil work on but then scrap a disco version of ‘I Started a Joke.’ They then write the music for a new song, ‘In His Imagination.’
In Barcelona for their upcoming appearance at the Sónar Festival, the Boys help kick off the festival by performing a special abbreviated version of their current Electric Tour show exclusively for competition winners and invited guests.
The Electric Tour comes to the LG Arena in Birmingham, U.K.
Although it is almost canceled on account of stormy weather, the Pet Shop Boys’ Dreamworld Tour show in Rome proceeds as planned. Later on their website they describe it as ‘so much fun.’