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 Boys, dressed as miners and supported by a Welsh chorus, perform ‘Go West’ live at the BRITS Awards.
They write most of ‘Integral,’ after which Chris goes home to pick up some records for a DJ gig that evening.
The Killers’ ‘Read My Mind,’ featuring one of two mixes by the Pet Shop Boys, is released as a single on U.S. iTunes.
Chris and Neil listen to the tracks they’ve recorded so far with co-producer Andrew Dawson and decide to do further work on ‘Breathing Space’ and ‘Everything Means Something.’
A very busy day: they work with Stuart Price on the second half of their Electric Tour show, Neil records some new lyrics for the Electric track ‘Love Is a Bourgeois Construct,’ and over lunch they discuss with their manager Angela their new deal with Kobalt Label Services.