Chris Lowe

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Christopher Sean Lowe (born October 4 1959, Blackpool, Lancashire) is an English musician, who, with colleague Neil Tennant, makes up the successful pop duo Pet Shop Boys.

Childhood

He attended the Arnold School (then named Arnold House School), a private school in his home town of Blackpool. While there, Lowe played trombone in a seven-piece dance band called One Under the Eight, that played old-time favourites like "Hello Dolly", "La Bamba" and "Moon River". Lowe's grandfather had been a trombonist and was a member of comedy jazz troupe The Nitwits. Lowe became a skilled pianist and debuted as keyboard player in the progressive rock band, Stallion.

Later life

Lowe studied architecture at University of Liverpool from 1978. 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 a hi-fi shop on the Kings Road in London.

Although Lowe has not been involved in many solo projects, in 1993 he wrote and produced the track "Do the Right Thing" for the footballer, Ian Wright (Lowe is a die-hard Arsenal F.C. fan ). The song featured backing vocals by the long-time Pet Shop Boys’ backing singer, Sylvia Mason-James, and the single featured remixes by Rollo. In 2004 Lowe 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. He has also written the music for the song "Streets of Berlin", featured in the revival of Bent at the Trafalgar Studios in Whitehall in 2006.

He once stood in for Pete Tong when he was too sick to present the Essential Selection on BBC Radio 1. In 1995, he had a cameo in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. In 1997, his flat was the subject of an in-depth feature in Elle Decoration magazine. Lowe has a passion for Japanese cuisine and recently acquired a minority stake in the Japanese noodle bar chain Wagamama, according to a report by venture capital group 3i.

Stage presence

After the Pet Shop Boys began touring on a regular basis, Lowe became known for his behaviour of standing still while playing keyboards on stage. 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.".

Notes

External links

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Last updated on Monday July 07, 2008 at 05:37:23 PDT (GMT -0700)
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