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 make their first live public appearance in the U.S., guesting on two songs with Electronic in Los Angeles.
The Boys record a demo for ‘It Always Comes as a Surprise.’
They headline the opening night of the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary.
They perform a late-night set (extending beyond midnight, into the wee hours of the next day) at the Lokerse Feesten Festival in Belgium.
Chris and Neil perform at the Wasa Open Air Festival in Vaasa, Finland.