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”.
On the eve of its release as a single, the Pet Shop Boys perform ‘Rent’ on the U.K. TV show Live from the London Palladium.
Dusty Springfield records her vocal for the PSB-written and ‑produced ‘Daydreaming.’
Nightlife is released.
The Boys appear in concert in Toronto.
They perform at the Pilar Festival in Zaragosa, Spain.
Neil and Chris visit Brazil’s capital city, Brasilia, for the first time. They spend much of the day playing tourist, appreciating the architecture, and are photographed in front of the Presidential Palace. That evening they perform at the city’s Marina Hall.
Chris and Neil attend a performance in London of the duo My Bad Sister—the twins Sophie and Polly Duniam, who had performed as backup singers and dancers on the Boys’ Pandemonium Tour.
They write the new song ‘Odd Man Out,’ while Pete Gleadall begins mixing their demo of ‘Winner.’
They perform in Las Vegas.
Alex Needham of The Guardian visits the studio where Chris and Neil are working and interviews the latter for his book One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem. Meanwhile, they continue working on the song ‘On Social Media.”
Neil and Chris are driving up the coast of California from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the next stop of the Unity Tour. Along the way they stop at Big Sur, where Neil snaps a photo of a local cat who has decided to perch him/herself atop some of his luggage.