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History

August 1983

Neil is sent to New York by Smash Hits to interview The Police. By this time the Pet Shop Boys are obsessed by a stream of hi energy records made by New York producer Bobby Orlando, known as Bobby O’. “I thought well, if I’ve got to go and see The Police play then I’m also going to have lunch with Bobby O’ ”. Neil and Bobby O share a cheeseburger and carrot cake at a restaurant called The Apple Jack on August 19th (two years to the day since Neil and Chris met) and Bobby O’, flatered by Neil’s compliments, suggests making a record with the Pet Shop Boys.

On this day

1989

The Boys spend the afternoon with Derek Jarman, making plans for filming their upcoming show at Wembley.

1993

Neil attends an AIDS-charity concert headlined by the band Suede in Clapham, seated in a private box with Derek Jarman and Jon Savage.

2001

Neil is sighted at Madonna’s ‘Drowned World Tour’ concert at London’s Earls Court Arena.

2002

The Boys perform in Manchester, U.K.

2007

The Pet Shop Boys re-sign with Parlophone/EMI, their record label since 1985.

2009

They perform at the ‘T in the Park’ festival near Kinross, Scotland.

2011

The Take That/PSB tour moves to the European continent, the first such show taking place this evening in Milan.

2013

Electric is released.

2014

They bring their Electric Tour to Liepāja, Latvia.

2016

Today sees the debut airing of the BBC Radio 4 documentary The House of the Windy City – Dance Music’s Forgotten Heroes, to which the Pet Shop Boys have contributed. The documentary covers the development and rise in Chicago of house music, which became arguably the pop world’s most pervasive and influential style of dance music of the ‘post-disco’ era.

2018

Despite coughing from a cold, Neil works all day in the studio with Chris on the song ‘Hoping for a Miracle,’ based on a piano demo composed by Chris while on holiday in Le Touquet, France.

2019

At the offices of Mark Farrow, the Boys discuss the artwork for the ‘Dreamland’ single and its parent album, Hotspot.