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 debut ‘Casting a Shadow’ at Cornwall during a total solar eclipse.
They headline at the Love Planet Festival in Prague.
Still feeling a bit ‘jet-lagged’ (as they note on their official website), the Boys perform at the Summer Sonic festival in Osaka, Japan.
Exactly six years after their previous Summer Sonic festival appearance in Japan, they perform at Summer Sonic once again, this time in Tokyo. Afterwards Neil notes on their official website that they had watched the festival performances of Johnny Marr and of Earth, Wind & Fire as well.
The Boys perform for a second consecutive evening in Utrecht.