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{{short description|British musician, singer, and member of Pet Shop Boys}}
{{short description|British musician, singer, and member of Pet Shop Boys (born 1959)}}
{{other people|Chris Lowe}}
{{other people|Chris Lowe}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2011}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2011}}
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{{BLP sources|date=March 2008}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2008}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Chris Lowe
| name = Chris Lowe
| image = Pet Shop Boys (6607485481).jpg
| image = PSBHydePark150919-72 (48768995717).jpg
| caption = Lowe performing in [[Sydney]], Australia, 2011
| caption = Lowe performing in Hyde Park in 2019
| birth_name = Christopher Sean Lowe
| birth_name = Christopher Sean Lowe
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1959|10|4|}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1959|10|4|}}
| birth_place = [[Blackpool]], Lancashire, England
| birth_place = [[Blackpool]], Lancashire, England
| genre = [[Synthpop]], [[Dance music|dance]], [[Intelligent dance music|IDM]], [[pop music|pop]], [[electropop]], [[electronic music|electronic]]
| genre = {{hlist|[[Synth-pop]]|[[Dance music|dance]]|[[Intelligent dance music|IDM]]|[[pop music|pop]]|[[electropop]]|[[electronic music|electronic]]}}
| occupation = Musician, singer, songwriter, producer
| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|producer}}
| instrument = Synthesizer, piano, electronic drums, vocals, keyboards, trombone, organ
| instrument = {{hlist|Synthesizer|piano|electronic drums|vocals|keyboards|trombone|organ}}
| years_active = 1981–present
| years_active = 1981–present
| label = [[EMI Records|EMI]], [[Parlophone]], [[Spaghetti Records|Spaghetti]]
| label = {{hlist|[[Parlophone]]|[[Spaghetti Records|Spaghetti]]}}
| associated_acts = [[Pet Shop Boys]]
| current_member_of = [[Pet Shop Boys]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.petshopboys.co.uk}}
| website = {{URL|http://www.petshopboys.co.uk}}
}}
}}


'''Christopher Sean Lowe''' (born 4 October 1959)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/history/195910 |title=Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section |publisher=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=28 October 2010}}</ref> is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synthpop duo [[Pet Shop Boys]], which he formed with [[Neil Tennant]] in 1981.<ref name="Quietus 2016">{{cite web|last1=Harrison|first1=Andrew|title=Pop Kid - Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys Interviewed|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/19915-pet-shop-boys-chris-lowe-interview|website=The Quietus|access-date=4 June 2016}}</ref>
'''Christopher Sean Lowe''' (born 4 October 1959)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/history/195910 |title=Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section |publisher=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=28 October 2010}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Quietus 2016">{{cite web|last1=Harrison|first1=Andrew|title=Pop Kid – Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys Interviewed|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/19915-pet-shop-boys-chris-lowe-interview|website=The Quietus|access-date=4 June 2016}}</ref>


==Biography ==
==Biography==
Lowe attended [[Arnold School]],<ref>{{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 }}</ref> an [[independent school]] in his home town of [[Blackpool]], [[Lancashire]]. Whilst at school, he played [[trombone]] in a seven-piece dance band called One Under the Eight, that played old-time favourites like "[[Hello, Dolly! (song)|Hello Dolly]]", "[[La Bamba (song)|La Bamba]]" and "[[Moon River]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/history/197601 |title=Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section |publisher=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=28 October 2010}}</ref> Lowe's grandfather had been a [[trombonist]] and was a member of comedy [[jazz]] troupe The Nitwits.{{fact|date=November 2021}} Lowe also learned to play the piano.{{fact|date=November 2021}}
Lowe attended [[Arnold School]],<ref>{{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 }}</ref> an [[independent school]] in his home town of Blackpool, Lancashire. While at school, he played trombone in a seven-piece dance band named One Under the Eight that played favourites like "[[Hello, Dolly! (song)|Hello Dolly]]", "[[La Bamba (song)|La Bamba]]" and "[[Moon River]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/history/197601 |title=Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section |publisher=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=28 October 2010}}</ref> Lowe's grandfather had been a trombonist and was a member of comedy [[jazz]] troupe The Nitwits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quietus |first=The |date=2016-03-22 |title=Pop Kid – Chris Lowe Of Pet Shop Boys Interviewed |url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/pet-shop-boys-chris-lowe-interview/ |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=The Quietus |language=en-GB}}</ref> Lowe also learned to play the piano.<ref>{{youtube|Q8xQ4AUuOkA|Then & Now Documentary Part 1/2|t=1092}}</ref>


Lowe studied architecture at the [[University of Liverpool]] from 1978 but never graduated, as he stated various times on television appearances and the ''Life in Pop'' documentary, due to the formation of the Pet Shop Boys. During a work placement in 1981 at a London architectural practice, he designed a [[stairway|staircase]] for an [[industrial park|industrial estate]] in [[Milton Keynes]]. It was at this time that he met [[Neil Tennant]] in a hi-fi shop on the [[Kings Road]] in London.
Lowe studied architecture at the University of Liverpool in 1978 but, as he stated on television appearances and in the ''Life in Pop'' documentary, never graduated, due to the formation of Pet Shop Boys. During a work placement in 1981 at a London architectural practice, he designed a staircase for an [[industrial park|industrial estate]] in [[Milton Keynes]]. It was at this time that he met [[Neil Tennant]] in Chelsea Record Centre, a [[High fidelity|hi-fi]] shop on [[King's Road]] in London.


== Musical career ==
== Musical career ==
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===Pet Shop Boys===
===Pet Shop Boys===
{{main|Pet Shop Boys}}
{{main|Pet Shop Boys}}
[[File:Pet shop boys boston concert.jpg|thumb|Lowe (left) with [[Neil Tennant]] in a Pet Shop Boys concert, [[Boston]], 2006]]
[[File:Pet shop boys boston concert.jpg|thumb|Lowe (left) with [[Neil Tennant]] in a Pet Shop Boys concert, Boston, 2006]]
[[File:Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) at Pori Jazz 2014.jpg|thumb|Lowe performing at [[Pori Jazz]] 2014 in [[Pori]], Finland]]
[[File:Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) at Pori Jazz 2014.jpg|thumb|Lowe performing at [[Pori Jazz]] 2014 in Pori, Finland]]
Lowe generally performs as the Pet Shop Boys' keyboardist; he occasionally provides spoken-word vocals.
Lowe generally performs as the Pet Shop Boys' keyboardist; he occasionally provides spoken-word vocals.


On the songs "I Want A Lover" and "[[What Have I Done to Deserve This? (song)|What Have I Done to Deserve This?]]," Lowe played trombone, which he studied at school.<ref name="Quietus 2016" />{{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."<ref name="Lazlo's Pet Shop Boys Discography">{{cite web|title=Lazlo's Pet Shop Boys Discography|url=http://archive.hmvh.net/txtfiles/various/PSB.TXT|access-date=1 October 2016}}</ref>}}
On the songs "I Want a Lover" and "[[What Have I Done to Deserve This? (song)|What Have I Done to Deserve This?]]," Lowe played trombone, which he studied at school.<ref name="Quietus 2016" />{{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."<ref name="Lazlo's Pet Shop Boys Discography">{{cite web|title=Lazlo's Pet Shop Boys Discography|url=http://archive.hmvh.net/txtfiles/various/PSB.TXT|access-date=1 October 2016}}</ref>}}


===Solo appearances===
===Solo appearances===
In 1993 he [[songwriter|wrote]] and produced the track "Do the Right Thing" for the [[association football|footballer]] [[Ian Wright]] (Lowe is a passionate [[Arsenal F.C.]] fan).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petshopboys.net/html/literallys/literally_30/page2.html |title=Absolutely Pet Shop Boys Unofficial web site – RADIO 2 CONCERT Literally 30 |publisher=Petshopboys.net |date=7 May 2006 |access-date=26 July 2009}}</ref> The song featured backing vocals by the long-time Pet Shop Boys' [[backing singer]], [[Sylvia Mason-James]], and the single featured remixes by [[Rollo Armstrong|Rollo]].
In 1993, he wrote and produced the track "Do the Right Thing" for the footballer [[Ian Wright]] (Lowe is a passionate [[Arsenal F.C.]] fan).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.petshopboys.net/html/literallys/literally_30/page2.html |title=Absolutely Pet Shop Boys Unofficial web site – RADIO 2 CONCERT Literally 30 |publisher=Petshopboys.net |date=7 May 2006 |access-date=26 July 2009 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031544/http://www.petshopboys.net/html/literallys/literally_30/page2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The song featured backing vocals by long-time Pet Shop Boys backing singer [[Sylvia Mason-James]], and the single featured remixes by [[Rollo Armstrong|Rollo]].


Two years later, Lowe had a [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] in the Australian soap opera ''[[Neighbours]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JWScLDoLe8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/-JWScLDoLe8 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) in Neighbours |publisher=YouTube |date=2 January 2007 |access-date=26 July 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> His appearance was filmed whilst Pet Shop Boys were touring that country.
Two years later, Lowe had a cameo in the Australian soap opera ''[[Neighbours]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JWScLDoLe8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/-JWScLDoLe8 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) in Neighbours |publisher=YouTube |date=2 January 2007 |access-date=26 July 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> His appearance was filmed while Pet Shop Boys were touring Australia in 1994.


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" chill-out compilation.<ref>{{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=2020-05-16}}</ref>
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" chill-out compilation.<ref>{{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=2020-05-16}}</ref>


Two years later, he wrote the music for the song "Streets of Berlin", featured in the revival of ''[[Bent (play)|Bent]]'' at the [[Trafalgar Studios]] in [[Whitehall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://petshopboys.co.uk/theatre-film/bent#1 |title=Bent – Pet Shop Boys – Theatre & Film |website=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=2020-05-16}}</ref>
Two years later, he wrote the music for the song "Streets of Berlin", featured in the revival of ''[[Bent (play)|Bent]]'' at the [[Trafalgar Studios]] in Whitehall.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://petshopboys.co.uk/theatre-film/bent#1 |title=Bent – Pet Shop Boys – Theatre & Film |website=Petshopboys.co.uk |access-date=2020-05-16}}</ref>


In 2011, Lowe appeared as featured vocalist on Stop Modernists's [[cover version]] of the [[New Order (band)|New Order]] song "[[Sub-culture (song)|Subculture]]". This was the first time he had appeared as vocals on a non-Pet Shop Boys' project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/stopmodernists/posts/218858608142366 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/147583071977293/218858608142366 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Stop Modernists Official Facebook Page |publisher=Facebook.com |date=12 May 2011 |access-date=27 January 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In 2011, Lowe appeared as featured vocalist on Stop Modernists' cover version of the [[New Order (band)|New Order]] song "[[Sub-culture (song)|Subculture]]". It was the first time he had appeared as vocals on a non-Pet Shop Boys project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/stopmodernists/posts/218858608142366 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/147583071977293/218858608142366 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Stop Modernists Official Facebook Page |publisher=Facebook.com |date=12 May 2011 |access-date=27 January 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


==Public image==
==Public image==
Lowe adopts an understated public presence, often wearing sportswear and with his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. In Pet Shop Boys videos and photoshoots he is often seen looking on as a spectator standing slightly behind Tennant. In live performances he rarely interacts with the audience and often stands still while playing keyboards.<ref name="theword">{{Citation | last=Harrison | first=Andrew | date=April 2006 | title=The Pet Shop Boys talk for Britain | periodical=The Word |issue=38 | pages=98–106 }}</ref> In 1995, ''[[The Guardian]]'' commented that he was "possibly more famous for not doing anything than almost anyone else in the history of popular entertainment."<ref name="guardian">{{Citation | last=Bracewell | first=Michael | date=15 July 1995 | title=Pop perfection | periodical=[[The Guardian]] | pages=T012 }}</ref>
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.<ref name="theword">{{Citation | last=Harrison | first=Andrew | date=April 2006 | title=The Pet Shop Boys talk for Britain | periodical=The Word |issue=38 | pages=98–106 }}</ref> 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."<ref name="guardian">{{Citation | last=Bracewell | first=Michael | date=15 July 1995 | title=Pop perfection | periodical=The Guardian | pages=T012 }}</ref>
A ''[[The Guardian|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 (photographer)|Eric Watson]]; Watson has commented 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."<ref name="Watson obituary Independent">{{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}}</ref><ref name="Watson obituary Guardian">{{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}}</ref>
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 (photographer)|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."<ref name="Watson obituary Independent">{{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 Independe|date=6 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="Watson obituary Guardian">{{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}}</ref>


==Notes==
==Notes==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.petshopboys.co.uk Official Pet Shop Boys Site]
*[http://www.petshopboys.co.uk Official Pet Shop Boys site]
*[http://www.discogs.com/artist/Chris+Lowe Chris Lowe] discography at [[Discogs]]
*[http://www.discogs.com/artist/Chris+Lowe Chris Lowe] discography at Discogs
*{{IMDb name| id=0522904| name=Chris Lowe}}
*{{IMDb name| id=0522904| name=Chris Lowe}}


{{Pet Shop Boys}}
{{Pet Shop Boys}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Chris}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Chris}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Liverpool]]
[[Category:British disco musicians]]
[[Category:British synth-pop musicians]]
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[[Category:Electronic (band) members]]
[[Category:English dance musicians]]
[[Category:English dance musicians]]
[[Category:English electronic musicians]]
[[Category:English electronic musicians]]
[[Category:English keyboardists]]
[[Category:English male songwriters]]
[[Category:English pop keyboardists]]
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[[Category:English record producers]]
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[[Category:People educated at Arnold School]]
[[Category:People educated at Arnold School]]
[[Category:Pet Shop Boys members]]
[[Category:Pet Shop Boys members]]
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[[Category:Electronic (band) members]]

Revision as of 02:18, 14 September 2024

For other people named Chris Lowe, see Chris Lowe (disambiguation).

Chris Lowe
Lowe performing in Hyde Park in 2019
Lowe performing in Hyde Park in 2019
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Sean Lowe
Born (1959-10-04) 4 October 1959 (age 65)
Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instruments
  • Synthesizer
  • piano
  • electronic drums
  • vocals
  • keyboards
  • trombone
  • organ
Years active1981–present
Labels
Member ofPet Shop Boys
Websitewww.petshopboys.co.uk

Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959)[1] 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.[2]

Biography

Lowe attended Arnold School,[3] an independent school in his home town of Blackpool, Lancashire. While at school, he played trombone in a seven-piece dance band named One Under the Eight that played favourites like "Hello Dolly", "La Bamba" and "Moon River".[4] Lowe's grandfather had been a trombonist and was a member of comedy jazz troupe The Nitwits.[5] Lowe also learned to play the piano.[6]

Lowe studied architecture at the University of Liverpool in 1978 but, as he stated on television appearances and in the Life in Pop documentary, never graduated, due to the formation of Pet Shop Boys. During a work placement in 1981 at a London architectural practice, he designed a staircase for an industrial estate in Milton Keynes. It was at this time that he met Neil Tennant in Chelsea Record Centre, a hi-fi shop on King's Road in London.

Musical career

Pet Shop Boys

Main article: Pet Shop Boys
Lowe (left) with Neil Tennant in a Pet Shop Boys concert, Boston, 2006
Lowe performing at Pori Jazz 2014 in Pori, Finland

Lowe generally performs as the Pet Shop Boys' keyboardist; he occasionally provides spoken-word vocals.

On the songs "I Want a Lover" and "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," Lowe played trombone, which he studied at school.[2][a]

Solo appearances

In 1993, he wrote and produced the track "Do the Right Thing" for the footballer Ian Wright (Lowe is a passionate Arsenal F.C. fan).[8] The song featured backing vocals by long-time Pet Shop Boys backing singer Sylvia Mason-James, and the single featured remixes by Rollo.

Two years later, Lowe had a cameo in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.[9] His appearance was filmed while Pet Shop Boys were touring Australia in 1994.

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" chill-out compilation.[10]

Two years later, he wrote the music for the song "Streets of Berlin", featured in the revival of Bent at the Trafalgar Studios in Whitehall.[11]

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 vocals on a non-Pet Shop Boys project.[12]

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.[13] 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."[14]

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."[15][16]

Notes

  1. ^ 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."[7]

References

  1. ^ "Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b Harrison, Andrew. "Pop Kid – Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Arnold School website, Distinguished pupils". Arnoldschool.com. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original on 4 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  4. ^ "Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  5. ^ Quietus, The (22 March 2016). "Pop Kid – Chris Lowe Of Pet Shop Boys Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  6. ^ Then & Now Documentary Part 1/2 on YouTube
  7. ^ "Lazlo's Pet Shop Boys Discography". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Absolutely Pet Shop Boys Unofficial web site – RADIO 2 CONCERT Literally 30". Petshopboys.net. 7 May 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  9. ^ "Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) in Neighbours". YouTube. 2 January 2007. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  10. ^ "Chris Lowe: 'Blockhead' – Pet Shop Boys – News". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Bent – Pet Shop Boys – Theatre & Film". Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Stop Modernists Official Facebook Page". Facebook.com. 12 May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  13. ^ Harrison, Andrew (April 2006), "The Pet Shop Boys talk for Britain", The Word, no. 38, pp. 98–106
  14. ^ Bracewell, Michael (15 July 1995), "Pop perfection", The Guardian, pp. T012
  15. ^ Perrone, Pierre (6 April 2012). "Eric Watson: Photographer who worked with the Pet Shop Boys and for pop bible Smash Hits". The Independe. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  16. ^ Hoare, Philip (23 March 2012). "Eric Watson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
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