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’ second live concert appearance occurs in Brussels. They mime to three songs (‘One More Chance,’ ‘Opportunities,’ and ‘West End Girls’) to what Neil later describes as ‘an audience of complete indifference.’
The Boys tape An Audience with Elton John, where they duet with him on ‘Believe’ and ‘A Song for Guy.’
They perform in Chicago—their third show at the Chicago Theatre, the previous two having been in April 1991 and October 2006.
At Chris’s home in London, he and Neil work on a cover version of ‘Last to Die,’ a song written by Bruce Springsteen.
The Electric Tour comes to Atlanta, Georgia.
With very little advance notice, the Boys perform a ‘warm-up show’ this evening at 229 The Venue in London in preparation for their headlining concert the following evening in Hyde Park.