Pet Shop Boys - The history

Some Important Dates

1954
Neil Francis Tennant born on 10th July in North Shields, Northumberland (England)


1959
Christopher Sean Lowe born on 4th October in Blackpool, Lancashire (England)


1970
Neil begins playing in a group called Dust


1976
Chris begins playing in a seven piece dance band called One Under The Eight


1981
Neil and Chris meet in an electronics shop in London on 19th August. They first called themselves West End, later they came up with Pet Shop Boys


1983
Neil met New York producer Bobby 'O' Orlando in America on 19th August


1984
'West End Girls' is released for the first time in April and becomes a club hit in America

Make their first appearance on stage, at the Fridge Nightclub in London in October


1985
Signed to Parlophone Records in March

'Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)' is released for the first time in the UK in July, but only reaches Number 116

'West End Girls' is re-recorded and re-released in the UK in October


1986
'West End Girls' reaches Number 1 in the UK in January

'Please' the first album is released in the UK in March

'West End Girls' reaches Number 1 in America in April


1987
Awarded the Best Single award for 'West End Girls' at the BPI Awards in February

Awarded the Best International Hit award for 'West End Girls' at the Ivor Novello Awards in May

'What Have I Done To Deserve This?' a duet with Dusty Springfield is released in the UK in August

'Always On My mind' is released and becomes the UK Christmas Number 1


1988
Awarded the Best Group award at the BPI Awards in February

Awarded the Best International Hit award for 'It's A Sin' at the Ivor Novello Awards in May

The film 'It Couldn't Happen Here' is released in the UK in July


1989
The first tour begins in June, visiting Hong Kong, Japan and the UK

The first issue of the Pet Shop Boys Club magazine Literally is published in July

Electronic's hit single 'Getting Away With It', which Neil co-wrote is released in the UK in December


1990
Literally the book is published in November


1991
Presented the mid-morning show on Radio One for a week in August

Launch their own record label, Spaghetti in September. Cicero is first to be signed up. 'Heaven Must Have Sent You Back To Me' is released by him

'Discography' the first album containing hit singles is released in November along with a companion DVD


1994
The charity record 'Absolutely Fabulous' is released in May, proceeds went to Comic Relief

First remix of another artist's single, Blur's 'Girls And Boys', which is released as a B-side in the UK in June

Chris records an appearance in the soap Neighbours, during the Australian tour in November


1999
First world tour in eight years begins in America in October. The world 'Nighlife' tour also visits Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, the UK, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and France


2000
Awarded the Most Prestigious award, for outstanding contribution to British music at the Ivor Novello Awards in May

Remix Fat Les 2000's 'Jerusalem', the Official Football Association England song for Euro 2000, which is released in the UK in June

First appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK in June


2001
'Closer To Heaven' the musical opened in May at the Arts Theatre in England

'Please', 'Actually', 'Introspective', 'Behaviour', 'Very' and 'Billingual' were all re-issued on CD in June, each album came with a bonus CD


2002
'Release' the first album in three years is released in April. The CD is initially released in limited edition packaging in four different coloured sleeves, (green, red, pink and black) and a white CD case. A limited edition white vinyl is also released


2003
'Disco 3' the third album in the series is released in February. A limited edition three-disc vinyl which included bonus tracks is also released

'PopArt' the second hits album is released in November along with a companion DVD. The album is also released with a limited edition mix CD. A limited edition three-disc vinyl box set is also released


2004
Wrote a soundtrack to a 1925 film 'Battleship Potemkin' and performed the premiere of the soundtrack at a free concert in London's Trafalgar Square in September

Awarded the Q Inspiration award at the Q Awards in October


2005
'Back To Mine: Pet Shop Boys' is released in April, includes Neil and Chris's favourite tracks for "after-hours grooving"

'Closer To Heaven' the musical opened in June at the Visy Theatre in Australia

Performed at the Live 8 concert in Moscow in July


2006
'Pet Shop Boys Catalogue' a book which compiles the Pet Shop Boys' entire visual and design output from 1984-2004, edited by Chris Heath and Philip Hoare is released in October.