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”.
As they had the night before, Neil and Chris make an early public appearance (Neil: ‘It was incredibly embarrassing’) in Belgium, this time in a nightclub in Charleroi.
The Pet Shop Boys perform live at the MTV Video Music Awards.
After working in the studio on ‘Between Two Islands,’ Neil has dinner in London with Courtney Love.
Neil is in Greece for a week’s rest before the start of the North American leg of the Fundamental Tour. The official PSB website reports that he has enjoyed a swim in the hot waters of a volcano.
The Boys bring their Pandemonium Tour show to Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater.
They kick off the Latin American leg of their 2017 Super Tour by performing at the Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro.
They headline the BBC Radio 2 Live show at London’s Hyde Park. The Boys’ performance is broadcast live on the BBC Four television channel, followed by a compilation of their classic appearances on Top of the Pops.