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”.
Neil Francis Tennant is born in North Shields, Northumberland, U.K.
They celebrate Neil’s 35th birthday as airline passengers flying over Siberia on the way home from tour dates in Japan. Not only do they have champagne, but the stewardess presents Neil with two birthday cakes.
After working on ‘Se A Vida E,’ the Boys celebrate Neil’s birthday with a barbeque.
In the wee morning hours shortly after midnight, following the earlier (July 9) PSB performance at the Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, the Scissor Sisters sing ‘Happy Birthday’ for Neil, who briefly reappears onstage with them mid-song.
The Boys spend much of the day in their studio working with Pete Gleadall. Meanwhile, the Interactive Media Council awards the web development firm Airside an Interactive Media Award for Outstanding Achievement for their work on the official PSB website.
The Pet Shop Boys are the headline act at a special concert at London’s O2 Arena complex titled ‘Smirnoff Experience: U.R. The Night.’ Their performance—a greatly abbreviated form of their Pandemonium Tour setlist—lasts about a half-hour.
Neil spends his birthday in Munich, Germany, where the Boys perform this evening at the Tollwood Festival.
The PSB Electric Tour comes to Munich.
The Boys top off Neil’s 60th birthday with their appearance at the Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia.
They perform at the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) in Madrid.
In the Canary Islands for their upcoming shows there, Neil celebrates his birthday by having dinner and drinks in Tenerife with Chris, Pete Gleadall, and their touring band.