January 1988
‘I’m Not Scared’, a song the Pet Shop Boys have written and produced for Patsy Kensit, is released as a single by her group Eighth Wonder, and is their first hit.
History
February 1988
At the BPI Awards, the Pet Shop Boys win the Best Group award. They also mime to ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ on stage with Dusty Springfield. Afterwards Neil comments, “It’s kind of macho nowadays to prove you can cut it live, I quite like proving that we can’t cut it live. We’re a pop group, not a rock ’n’ roll group”.
March 1988
A different mix of ‘Heart’ is released as a single on March 21st and reaches #1 in the UK. “It’s a real disco song — the idea of ‘heartbeat’ the beat of the record and the beat of your heart. It’s actually pretty corny, to be honest, but I think the words are quite sweet and sincere”. The video, shot in Yugoslavia, is a resetting of the Dracula story with Ian McKellen in the title role.
May 1988
For the second year running, the Pet Shop Boys win the Best International Hit award at the Ivor Novello Awards, this time for ‘It’s a sin’.
June 1988
Ian McKellen persuades the Pet Shop Boys to play live at an anti-Clause 28 benefit, Before The Act, at London’s Piccadilly Theatre, performing ‘It’s a sin’ and ‘One more chance’. “A brilliant event”, they say afterwards.
July 1988
‘It couldn’t happen here’ is released on July 8th to mixed reviews: it wins an award at the Houston film festival.
August 1988
The Pet Shop Boys win the Berolina award in Germany for ‘Group of the Year’. The award is presented to them by Miss Venezuela.
September 1988
On September 12th, ‘Domino dancing’ is released, a song they recorded that February in Miami with Expose producer, Lewis Martinee. They shoot a video in Puerto Rico and appeared with a full Latin band on Wogan and Top Of The Pops.
October 1988
On October 10th, their new album ‘Introspective’ is released. It is so called because “all the songs, although it’s a dance album, are introspective”. The title was chosen after considering and dismissing ‘f’, ‘Dogmatic’, ‘Bounce’ and ‘Hello’. They explain that ‘Introspective’ sounds serious, like an art exhibition: “Nick Rhodes”, says Chris at the time, “will be so jealous”.
November 1988
On November 14th, ‘Left to my own devices’ is released: “an exaggerated autobiography”. The second verse refers to a time when Neil’s mother would worry about him because he’d wait in a corner of the back garden pretending to be a Roundhead soldier.
On this day
1992
Boy George’s ‘The Crying Game,’ produced by the Pet Shop Boys, reaches its U.K. peak position of #22.
2009
The Boys perform in Las Vegas—their final U.S. date on the Pandemonium Tour.
2012
Neil’s reading of Chapter 11 of Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick is webcast as part of the online project ‘The Big Read.’
2014
The Pet Shop Boys stage the penultimate show of the ‘2014 leg’ of their Electric Tour at AsiaWorld Expo Hall in Hong Kong.
2015
The Boys are still in Los Angeles working with Stuart Price on tracks for their next album. This evening Neil makes a surprise appearance at Brandon Flowers’s solo show at L.A.‘s famed Wiltern Theatre. As Chris notes the following day on the official PSB website, Neil performed ‘a couple songs’ with Brandon, those two songs being the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Rent’ and the Killers’ ‘Human.’ (Chris attended the show as well but didn’t appear onstage. He would later mildly complain that he should’ve worn earplugs: ‘It was too loud for me. But it was very, very good.’)
2019
Although there have been several advance performances, tonight sees the official opening night of the stage production of My Beautiful Laundrette at the Curve Theatre in Leicester. It features two new songs as well as instrumental music and a number of ‘old classics’ by Chris and Neil.
- Facts collated by geowayne.com