Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic music act, formed by Neil Tennant (born on 10 July 1954) who provides main vocals, keyboards and very occasionally guitar, and Chris Lowe (born on 4 October 1959) on keyboards and occasionally on vocals.
The longevity of their career is generally attributed to their ability to create melodic pop/dance music with intelligent lyrics and striking style. They are one of the most consistently successful duos in pop music, particularly in Europe. Since 1986, they have had 38 top 40 singles in the UK including four number ones: " West End girls", " It's a sin", " Always on my mind" and " Heart". While maintaining a strong presence in the dance and club charts in the United States, their mainstream success waned in the late eighties (their last top 40 hit in the U.S. was "Domino Dancing" in 1988). Their popularity is still prevalent through their very active and devoted fan base.
A new album titled Fundamental is due to be released under the Parlophone label on May 22, 2006.
Neil Francis Tennant was born in North Shields, Northumberland. While at school, Tennant played in a group in Newcastle called Dust. Their most popular song was called "Can you hear the dawn break?", and they were heavily influenced by The Incredible String Band. In 1975, after completing a degree in history at North London Polytechnic, Tennant took a job as editor at Marvel UK. In 1977 he moved to Macdonald Educational Publishing, later moving to ITV Books. In 1982, he joined the writing staff of Smash Hits magazine.
Christopher Sean Lowe was born in Blackpool, Lancashire. At school, Lowe played trombone in a seven piece dance band called One Under The Eight, who played old-time popular favourites like " Hello Dolly", " La Bamba", and " Moon River". A skilled pianist, he moved on to playing keyboards in rock group Stallion. In 1978, Lowe went to University of Liverpool to study architecture. From 1981 to 1982, he spent a work placement year gaining practical experience in a London architectural practice. During this time, he designed a staircase for an industrial development in Milton Keynes.
