After completing a degree in history at the Polytechnic of North London, Neil takes a job at Marvel Comics, anglicizing spellings and indicating where over-risque woman needed to be redrawn decently. While there he interviews comic fan Marc Bolan, who politely points out that his tape recorder wasn’t working. In 1977 he works at Macdonald Educational Publishing, later moving to ITV Books. In June 1982, he joins Smash Hits.
Neil begins a week-long holiday in Spain, first in Santiago de Compostela—a locale that will provide inspiration for the first verse of ‘To Step Aside.’
The Pet Shop Boys perform in Nyon, Switzerland.
The Summer 2010 leg of the Pandemonium Tour comes to the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena.
British singer Amy Winehouse dies at the age of 27. Neil and Chris—who had been falsely rumored back in 2008 to have recorded a James Bond theme with her—issue a statement of sadness at the news on their official website.
A
2016
The Pet Shop Boys’ four-night ‘Inner Sanctum’ residency at London’s Royal Opera House concludes with this evening’s performance. Afterwards Neil writes on their official website about having enjoyed ‘four extraordinary nights… with wonderful audiences.’
The first of five consecutive sold-out PSB Dreamworld concerts takes place tonight at London’s Royal Opera House.