If the notion of a Christmas album strikes you as cheesy, you’re in good company — English musician Nick Lowe thought the same when his record label approached him with the idea back in 2013. The Brits have a word for the sort of aura Lowe wanted to avoid—“naff.”
“It’s one of those British slang words,” Lowe explains. “It means slightly vulgar, and in bad taste. That’s the way people in the UK see Christmas music.”
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But Lowe’s reluctance only lasted about three seconds. After considering the idea further, he began to see it as an opportunity to breathe new life into holiday music. The resultant album, Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family, was met with widespread critical approval, and Rolling Stone even named it as one of their essential Christmas records in 2019. The album turns 10 this year, and Lowe has recently kicked off a U.S. tour with a setlist featuring some of its tracks. He will be stopping at Delmar Hall on November 14.
Lowe says that, in recent years, he’s entered a “second phase” of his career. Whereas the first phase was characterized by a power-pop sound, the second phase has seen Lowe usher in elements from country, soul, and other genres of American roots music.
“There’s nothing more revolting than seeing someone forced to behave and perform like they were when they were in their twenties,” he says. “I decided to take advantage of me getting older.”
During recent tours, Lowe says he’s noticed a wider age range among the crowd. Along with older fans who have been with him from the beginning, younger listeners have started showing up—a sign that his second phase is resonating with listeners.
Lowe is joined on his current tour by Los Straitjackets, an American instrumental rock band. The two artists began collaborating shortly after the release of Quality Street for a series of Christmas shows. Lowe discovered he worked well with the band, resulting in a long-term relationship.
With a fruitful creative partnership, an increasingly diverse fanbase, and an enduringly pleasurable holiday record under his belt, Lowe says he’s enjoying his current tour, and the second half of his career overall.
“I feel extremely fortunate that I’m playing with this great band, and that I’m doing this for an audience which has a wide age range, who are so enthusiastic, who don’t see me as a ‘retro’ act,” he says. “It seems like people think what I do is pretty relevant. I think I’m a very lucky man.”
Tickets for Nick Lowe’s November 14 performance at Delmar Hall can be purchased here.
