Chris Lowe

{{short description|British musician, singer, and member of Pet Shop Boys (born 1959)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Chris Lowe

| image = Chris Lowe Glastonbury2022 (411 of 413) (52182659109) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Lowe performing at Glastonbury Festival 2022

| birth_name = Christopher Sean Lowe

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1959|10|4}}

| birth_place = Blackpool, Lancashire, England

| genre = {{hlist|Synth-pop|electropop|dance|IDM|electronic}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|producer}}

| instrument = {{hlist|Synthesizer|piano|electronic drums|vocals|keyboards|trombone|organ}}

| years_active = 1981–present

| label = {{hlist|Parlophone|Spaghetti|x2}}

| current_member_of = Pet Shop Boys

| website = {{URL|http://www.petshopboys.co.uk}}

}}

Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959){{cite web|url=https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/history/1959|title=Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section 1959|publisher=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=10 October 2024}} is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981.{{cite web|last1=Harrison|first1=Andrew|date=22 March 2016|title=Pop Kid – Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys Interviewed|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/pet-shop-boys-chris-lowe-interview/|website=The Quietus|access-date=9 October 2024}}

Biography

Christopher Sean Lowe was born and raised in Blackpool, Lancashire, and attended Arnold School.{{cite web |url=http://www.arnoldschool.com/html/History_5203.html |title=Arnold School website, Distinguished pupils |publisher=Arnoldschool.com |date=1 June 2008 |access-date=28 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101004130910/http://www.arnoldschool.com/html/History_5203.html |archive-date=4 October 2010 |url-status=dead }} His grandfather was a trombonist and a member of the comedy jazz troupe The Nitwits. His mother was a dancer, and his father, a sales representative, could play piano by ear.{{cite book |last=Heath|first=Chris|year=2020|title=Pet Shop Boys, Literally|location=London|publisher=William Heinemann|page=292|isbn=9781473575691}} Lowe learned trombone and piano and was in the school orchestra and dance band.{{cite news |last=Seddon|first=Aimee|date=30 August 2024|title=Pet Shop Boys' Chris Lowe shares his excitement at performing in Blackpool & Radio 2 in the Park Preston |url=https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/people/pet-shop-boys-chris-lowe-shares-his-excitement-at-performing-in-blackpool-preston-next-week-4762885 |url-status=live|work=The Gazette|location=Blackpool, UK|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241010013446/https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/people/pet-shop-boys-chris-lowe-shares-his-excitement-at-performing-in-blackpool-preston-next-week-4762885 |archive-date=10 October 2024|access-date=10 October 2024}} He studied music as an A-level subject.{{cite AV media |people=Scott, George (director); Tennant, Neil (interviewee)|date=24 May 2006|title=Pet Shop Boys: A Life in Pop|type=documentary|time=41:40|publisher=EMI|quote=Chris is, you know, a trained musician, whatever, did music A-level and piano lessons and trombone lessons and all the rest of it.}}

Lowe played trombone in a semi-professional seven-piece dance band named One Under the Eight that performed favourites like "Hello Dolly", "La Bamba" and "Moon River",{{cite web|url=https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/history/1976 |title=Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section 1976|publisher=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=7 October 2024}} and he joined the Musicians' Union with them. He was also in a local brass band, the Norman Memorial Youth Band, and briefly played keyboards with a school rock band called Stallion.{{sfn|Heath|2020|p=253}}

Lowe began studying architecture at the University of Liverpool in 1978{{sfn|Heath|2020|p=15}} and earned a BA (Hons) in 1981.{{cite web |url=https://alumni.liv.ac.uk/meet-our-alumni/notable-alumni/arts-media/ |title=Notable alumni: Arts, entertainment and media |website=alumni.liv.ac.uk |access-date=7 October 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241007174716/https://alumni.liv.ac.uk/meet-our-alumni/notable-alumni/arts-media/|archive-date=7 October 2024}} During a work placement in 1981 at a London architectural practice, he designed a staircase for an industrial estate in Milton Keynes.{{sfn|Heath|2020|p=104}} It was at this time that he met Neil Tennant in Chelsea Record Centre, a hi-fi shop on King's Road in London.{{sfn|Heath|2020|p=15}} As their music career developed, Lowe continued his architecture course and got a B.Arch, but did not complete the final work requirement to qualify as an architect before he and Tennant committed full time to the Pet Shop Boys in 1985.{{cite AV media |people=O'Leary, Dermot (interviewer); Lowe, Chris (interviewee)|date=20 May 2023|title=Reel Stories: Pet Shop Boys|type=television production|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001m85t|time=11:20|publisher=BBC Two|quote=Things had started to take off in the middle of my course and so when I went back, my heart wasn't really in it, because we'd been jetting off to New York, recording in Times Square, and all of a sudden that seemed a lot more exciting. I still managed to pass.|ref=reelstories}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1j78F49pJ4Kzv4kXWpvb92p/eight-things-we-learned-from-pet-shop-boys |title=Eight things we learned from Pet Shop Boys |author= |date=25 April 2024 |website=BBC Radio 4 |publisher=BBC |access-date=7 November 2024 |quote=Well, not quite qualified. Almost. I'd done the first two parts and for the third part you had to work for a year in a practice, and during that time the Pet Shop Boys were taking off, so I never got part three.}}{{cite AV media |people=Munchetty, Naga and Stayt, Charlie (interviewers); Lowe, Chris (interviewee) |date=27 April 2024 |title=BBC Breakfast |type=television production |publisher=BBC One|quote=I did five years of it; I did the BA and the BArch.}}

Musical career

=Pet Shop Boys=

File:Pet shop boys boston concert.jpg in a Pet Shop Boys concert, Boston, 2006]]

File:Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) at Pori Jazz 2014.jpg 2014 in Pori, Finland]]

Lowe generally performs as the Pet Shop Boys' keyboardist. He occasionally provides spoken-word or sung vocals and takes the lead on a few songs, including "Paninaro".{{Cite AV media notes |title=Please: Further Listening 1984-1986|title-link=Please (Pet Shop Boys album)|last=Heath|first=Chris|others=Pet Shop Boys|year=2018|page=|type=booklet|publisher=Parlophone|id=0190295831745|ref=pleasefurther}}

Lowe played trombone on the song "I Want a Lover",{{efn|In the notes to the album Please, Tennant and Lowe commented: "T: Chris brought his trombone into the studio. He wasn't very keen on doing it." L: "[Producer] Blue Weaver insisted. I learned the trombone when I was about ten. My grandfather played the trombone."}} and he appeared with his trombone in the video for the song "What Have I Done to Deserve This?".{{cite AV media |people=Pet Shop Boys (performers)|date=26 February 2009|title=What Have I Done To Deserve This (Official Video)|type=music video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn9E5i7l-Eg|publisher=Parlophone}}

=Solo appearances=

In 1993, he wrote and produced the track "Do the Right Thing" for Arsenal footballer Ian Wright.{{cite magazine|last=Wyman|first=Ed|date=27 October 2011|title=Footballers Trying to Be Pop Stars |url= https://bleacherreport.com/articles/911547-footballers-trying-to-be-pop-stars-paul-gascoigne-clint-dempsey-and-more|magazine=Bleacher Report|access-date=10 October 2024}} The song featured backing vocals by long-time Pet Shop Boys backing singer Sylvia Mason-James, and the single featured remixes by Rollo.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/126642-Ian-Wright-Do-The-Right-Thing|title=Ian Wright – Do the Right Thing|website=Discogs|date=1993 |access-date=10 October 2024}}

Two years later, Lowe had a cameo in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. His appearance was filmed while Pet Shop Boys were touring Australia in 1994.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504594/reference/ |title=Neighbours (TV Series) Episode #1.2320 (1995) |website=IMDB |access-date=10 October 2024}}{{cite AV media |people=Taunton, Sam (interviewer); Lowe, Chris (interviewee)|date=25 April 2024|title=The Project|type=television production|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxd6Yuhh3Xg|time=3:40|location=Australia|publisher=Network 10|quote=I had this mad idea when we were going to Australia, I thought, d'you know, wouldn't it be great to have a cameo role in Neighbours.}}

In 2004, he was commissioned to do music for an advertisement for the sunscreen brand Blockhead. The song ended up in a remixed version on a "Café Mambo" compilation.{{cite web|url=https://petshopboys.co.uk/news/2004-07-01/chris-lowe-blockhead |title=Chris Lowe: 'Blockhead' – Pet Shop Boys – News |website=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=16 May 2020}}

Lowe wrote the music for the song "Streets of Berlin", featured in the 2006 revival of Bent at the Trafalgar Studios in Whitehall.{{cite web|url=https://petshopboys.co.uk/theatre-film/bent#1 |title=Bent – Pet Shop Boys – Theatre & Film |website=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=16 May 2020}}{{cite magazine|last=Nathan|first=John|date=11 August 2006|title=Full Cast Announced for London's Bent Revival|url= https://playbill.com/article/full-cast-announced-for-londons-bent-revival-com-134253|magazine=Playbill|access-date=10 October 2024}}

In 2011, Lowe appeared as featured vocalist on Stop Modernists' cover version of the New Order song "Subculture". It was the first time he had appeared as a vocalist on a non-Pet Shop Boys project.{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/stopmodernists/posts/218858608142366 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/147583071977293/218858608142366 |archive-date=26 February 2022|url-access=limited|title=Stop Modernists Official Facebook Page |publisher=Facebook.com |date=12 May 2011 |access-date=27 January 2016}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |url=https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/news/2011-06-13/subculture-released |title=Subculture released|website=petshopboys.co.uk |date=13 June 2011|access-date=10 October 2024}}

Public image

Lowe adopts an understated public presence, often wearing sportswear and with his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, and usually wearing headwear of some sort (a baseball cap inscribed with the word "BOY" being his most iconic) – although in the duo's early years his face was shown fully unobscured. In Pet Shop Boys videos and photoshoots, he is often seen as a spectator standing slightly behind Tennant. For the duo's 1988 musical film It Couldn't Happen Here, he spoke very little dialogue compared to Tennant. In live performances he rarely interacts with the audience and often stands still while playing keyboards.{{Citation | last=Harrison | first=Andrew | date=April 2006 | title=The Pet Shop Boys talk for Britain | periodical=The Word |issue=38 | pages=98–106 }} In 1995, The Guardian wrote that he was "possibly more famous for not doing anything than almost anyone else in the history of popular entertainment."{{Citation | last=Bracewell | first=Michael | date=15 July 1995 | title=Pop perfection | periodical=The Guardian | pages=T012 }}

A Guardian profile of the group from 1993 noted that Lowe's image of "silent Chris walking two steps behind singing Neil" was an intentional choice, developed in discussion with photographer and music video director Eric Watson; Watson has said that "Chris didn't want to be seen playing keyboards or anything. We realised there was something about somebody singing and somebody else doing nothing – just looking, then looking away – that adds a hideous tension."{{cite news|last1=Perrone|first1=Pierre|title=Eric Watson: Photographer who worked with the Pet Shop Boys and for pop bible Smash Hits|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/eric-watson-photographer-who-worked-with-the-pet-shop-boys-and-for-pop-bible-smash-hits-7622219.html|access-date=7 July 2015|work=The Independent|date=6 April 2012}}{{cite news|last1=Hoare|first1=Philip|title=Eric Watson obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/mar/22/eric-watson|access-date=7 July 2015|work=The Guardian|date=23 March 2012}}