Nizlopi

Nizlopi are an English folk duo from Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, active from 2003 to 2015. The group is made up of Luke Concannon and John Parker, with Concannon on vocals, guitar and bodhran, and Parker on double bass, beatbox, guitar and backing vocals. The pair are school friends who form the act while still in their teens in 1993. Their name comes from a Hungarian girl that Concannon has a crush on at school.

Albums and recordings

Their first album, Half These Songs Are About You, appears in 2004 on FDM Records. It includes the singles “JCB” and “Girls”. A mini-EP titled ExtraOrdinary follows in 2006, containing six tracks, including “Helen” and “Yesterday”, which have already appeared on the earlier JCB and Girls EPs. Their second album, Make It Happen, comes out in 2008. That record includes contributions from Martyn Barker on percussion and drums, Andy Simms on piano, Jonnie Fielding on violin, Jack Hobbs on vocal/scratching, Rory Simmons on trumpet, Kadially Kouyate on kors and Senegalese vocals, The Individuals Dedicated to the Ministry of Christ choir, and poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

“JCB” and recognition

“JCB” is written about Luke Concannon’s dyslexia at school and his wish to go with his father to work. It is first released as a single in 2005 and later re-released in the UK, where it reaches number one in the chart. It also spends five consecutive weeks at number one, earns a Gold Single in the UK and a Double Platinum Single in Ireland, and receives extensive radio play from Dermot O’Leary on BBC Radio 2. The song and its video reach number one on iTunes in the UK and Europe, and the track gains over 100,000 downloads and 1,000 full-track mobile downloads in one week. In 2007, the band receives an Impala Platinum award for European sales of Half These Songs Are About You.

Split and reunion

In 2010, the band confirms that it has split after 17 years together. Luke Concannon says he will continue with a new project rather than Nizlopi. In 2012, the duo announces a performance at Union Chapel in tribute to their friend Tony Moore. They then announce their reunion in 2013 and say they want to play shows together again. After that, they play festivals and headline dates in the UK and Europe.