CHART-TOPPING Leamington duo Nizlopi will be returning home next month.
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Luke Concannon and double bassist and beat boxer John Parker shot to fame in December 2005 when the JCB song saw them hit the No. 1 spot in both the UK and Ireland, just a week after appearing on Top of the Pops.
They folk hip-hoppers split in 2010 but reunited earlier this year, and will play Leamington Assembly on Wednesday November 19 as part of a short UK tour.
The pair met on a school bus aged 13 while both were pupils at Trinity School.
As Nizlopi – named after a Hungarian girl that Luke had a crush on at school – they quickly gathered a loyal following, and success saw them touring the UK and Europe with Jamie Cullum, joining Christine Aguilera at Wembley Arena, and dueting with Billy Bragg at the Hackney Empire.
They headlined shows at Shepherd’s Bush Empire and quickly added the crowds at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival and Ireland’s Fleadh to their many fans.
They have also been responsible for influencing some notable names – among them Ed Sheeran, who even roadied for them for a short time, and supported them at a gig in Norwich back in 2008.
“Everything I know about live performance I learned from them,” said the Ivor Novello and Brit Award winning singer-songwriter, referring to his time spent on the road with Nizlopi.
The JCB Song – inspired by Luke’s childhood memories of going to work with his builder dad – was narrowly missed out on being the 2005 Christmas No. 1, being pipped by X Factor winner Shayne Ward.
A new live album, recorded over two sell-out summer nights at London’s Borderline, is released on Monday (October 20).
Visit leamingtonassembly.com for tickets and further details of Nizlopi’s Leamington return gig.
Visit www.nizlopi.com for further details about the band.
