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 perform ‘Being Boring’ live on Top of the Pops.
Neil records the lead vocal for ‘To Step Aside.’
The Boys conclude their Mexican vacation and fly back to London.
Chris and Neil videotape an appearance on an upcoming episode of The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
In the morning, at Chris’s home in London, they meet with their manager Angela Becker to continue their discussions about a possible producer for their next album. They tentatively settle upon Andrew Dawson, who had mixed the previous two albums by Kanye West, so Angela then sends him an email about it. After lunch, the Boys work on the new song ‘Public Disgrace,’ which soon evolves into ‘No More Ballads.’
In a second day in a row of working on ‘Love Is a Bourgeois Construct,’ Neil re-sings some lyrics he has recently changed.
The Pet Shop Boys appear in concert at the Conrad Resort and Casino in Punta Del Este, Uruguay—their first live performance ever in that nation.
After working further on ‘Only the Dark,’ Chris and Neil begin work on a new track called ‘Any Longer.’