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 Boys write ‘For Your Own Good’; Chris also writes the music for ‘Call Me Old-Fashioned.’
BPI awards a U.K. gold record to Nightlife.
Neil joins the Scissor Sisters onstage at a London charity concert benefitting children and families living with HIV/AIDS. They perform the Boys’ ‘Love Comes Quickly,’ which segues into the Sisters’ ‘It Can’t Come Quickly Enough.’
The Pet Shop Boys receive their ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’ Award at this evening’s BRITS Awards ceremonies. They also perform a 9½-minute medley of their songs with occasional guest vocals from Lady Gaga and Brandon Flowers.
Neil and Chris continue working on the new song ‘Heads Will Roll’ and start work on a track Chris has composed titled ‘Sick’ (which soon will evolve into ‘Memory of the Future’).
Still in Germany, the Boys take a day off to drive to Hohenschönhausen to take a guided tour of Stasi Prison, which now serves as a memorial to political prisoners of the former East German communist regime.
They kick off the 2017 U.K. leg of their Super Tour with a show this evening in Leeds.