Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets in Washington

Nick Lowe is an English singer-songwriter, bassist and producer, born in 1949. He recorded with the pub-rock group Brinsley Schwarz and later played in Rockpile, while his solo catalogue includes “Cruel to Be Kind,” “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass,” “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” and the albums Jesus of Cool and Labour of Lust. Rockpile toured Britain and the United States in the late 1970s, then performed at the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea at Hammersmith Odeon in 1979. Decades later, Nick Lowe’s Quality Holiday Revue put him on the road with Los Straitjackets, whose members also served as his backing band; in 2022, that partnership opened shows for Elvis Costello and the Imposters on the Boy Named If & Other Favourites tour. His festival appearances have included Glastonbury Festival and San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.

Los Straitjackets are an American instrumental rock band formed in Nashville in 1988. Their surf-guitar sound draws on rock and roll, garage rock and rockabilly, while their luchador masks and mock-Spanish introductions form a recognizable stage identity. Key records include The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets and ¡Viva! Los Straitjackets. The Los Straitjackets Christmas Pageant took the band on seasonal tours featuring The World Famous Pontani Sisters and singer Kaiser George. In 2014, the Quality Holiday Revue began a lasting live partnership with singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. On their joint dates, Los Straitjackets opened with an instrumental set and then returned as the backing band for Nick Lowe.