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”.
‘West End Girls’ tops the U.K. pop charts.
In an onstage discussion facilitated by Michael Bracewell, Neil appears at the U.K. National Portrait Gallery to talk about the PSB approach to image and design. He’s accompanied by Philip Hoare and Chris Heath, authors of Pet Shop Boys Catalogue.
The Pet Shop Boys perform their Battleship Potemkin score with the BBC Concert Orchestra in a sold-out show at London’s Barbican Hall.
Neil and Chris meet Andrew Dawson in person for the first time at his Los Angeles studio. Together they listen to demos of prospective songs for their next album.