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”.
Having had lunch with him two days before, Chris and Neil attend a concert by Larry Blackmon’s band Cameo at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, after which they meet with the group backstage.
Session bass player Steve Walters joins the Boys in the studio and records bass parts for ‘Birthday Boy’ and ‘Home and Dry,’ although his playing on the latter isn’t used in the final version.
Neil and Chris attend sessions at London’s famous Abbey Road studios, where string and horn parts are recorded for two of the tracks on their next album, Yes (although the title hasn’t yet been decided on at this time). Afterward they travel by taxi to Soho for a meeting related to their ballet plans.
The Pet Shop Boys appear in concert at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.
Working with Pete Gleadall, Neil records his revised lyrics for ‘Give Stupidity a Chance.’
The Pet Shop Boys and New Order bring their Unity Tour show to Philadelphia.