Music journalist Neil Tennant met Chris Lowe in a hi-fi shop in 1981, Tennant having bought a Korg synthesiser, much to Lowe’s fascination. Over the next few years, the pair exploited the explosion in technology to produce their own synthesis of disco music and the electronic sounds of bands like Soft Cell, the Human League and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. It took a long time for ‘West End Girls’ to become their breakthrough single, but it eventually climbed to number one and from there, there was no stopping the Pet Shop Boys who went on to enjoy four UK number ones, 22 top 10 singles and 100million record sales worldwide. In demand for their writing and production skills from almost everyone in the music world, they also translated their songs from the studio and onto the live stage with ever more flamboyant concert productions. Backstage Pass captures that transition.
