A LITTLE BIOGRAPHY
Nizlopi are Luke Concannon and John Parker, two friends whove been writing and playing music together since their early teens. Luke handles the heartfelt lyrics, soulful vocals, and accompanies this with his beloved Guitar, while JP sets jaws-a-dropping with masterful Double-Bass playing, his breathtaking human Beat-Boxing, and a little extra Guitar playing of his own for good measure too! Together these boys have created a genre-defying sound all of their own thats earned them plenty of love around the UK and now the rest of the globe!
Since the release of their debut album Half These Songs Are About You, Nizlopi have earned a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in the UK, playing a never ending run of live shows in venues ranging from fans living rooms - 'Gigs in Digs' - to sold out appearances at Londons Shepherds Bush Empire, to festivals like Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe, The Big Green Gathering and the like
Live, Nizlopi are in their element. Their aim is to break down the barriers between performers and audiences, which gives their infamous, largely improvised shows, a feeling of intimacy, energy and over-whelming positivity; they enjoy nothing more than heading down into the crowd to play acoustically an unforgettable experience for anyone who gets to take part.
At the end of 2005 they achieved UK chart success with their huge number one hit 'JCB Song', and were introduced to the mad, fantastical world of TV land... Richard & Judy was probably the most surreal. It was a great time to build the exposure that the music deserves, and also allow the growth of the Indie label, FDM Records, Luka and Johnboi set up with family and friends. Nizlopis music has already begun to hit all corners of the globe with numerous licensing partnerships formed with labels in Europe, South Africa, North America and Australia.
In September 2006 Nizlopi released thier 'ExtraOrdinary' mini-album, which was aimed at giving the fans a taster of Nizlopi's evolved sound; capturing the energy and soul of thier renowned live performances in the studio setting. The CD being sold at gigs and online only from FDM's website, it trully is a 'for the fans' release, with thoasands of die-hards turning out for the accompanying 'ExtraOrdinary' Tour. The collection of highly emotive and beautifully crafted poignant songs includes the crowd favorite title track 'ExtraOrdinary' and the seminal colaboration with Hebredian Author and Activist Alastair McIntosh with 'Homage To Young Men'.
The future is an exciting one with the forthcoming release of the recently recorded 'second album', recorded at The Dairy in London and with a highly revered former Island Records Producer. Before then Nizlopi again have a full on summer of festival fun and the lads are also dead excited about their next UK and International Tours coming later this year - hope to see you there! (Please see www.nizlopi.com for all info).
SOME COOL LINKS
Check out Nizlopi's official websites...
Official Site
Mailing List
FDM Records label site
Message Board Community
MySpace Community Page
BUY NIZLOPI DOWNLOADS
ExtraOrdinary
Half These Songs Are About You...
JCB Song
Enjoy :-)
September 6
(YOU CAN ALSO READ JOHN'S BLOG WHICH WAS ADDED TODAY AT WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NIZLOPI)
Hello my blog buddies of doom
Its Luke here with another instalment of the nasty adventures of Luke, John, and their merry women and men. So whats been happening? Well, the week before last (21st to the 27th Aug 06) we had off to recover from a summer of Festivity. I went to Wales with Kate and we stayed in this way cool BnB in Pembrokeshire called Space in Time(google those mofos). It was incredible to go to a place that was so peaceful, and beautiful and be looked after (delicious home-cooked food). Lots of sleeping, walking, and talking. We then stayed with our mate Trev in his converted Swiss rail carriage. He is a great eco-builder. His home is like Therouxs in Walden. Inspiring. Then to Green belt festival, where we made music with my beautiful brother Alastair McIntosh again. Alastair ranting about human fuckedupness at a Christian festival was amusing. It was good to work with this incredible author/activist again. He just launched Love and Revolution a new book of poetry. Great, spiritual aching singing songs of lifes journey, wise and brilliant. Check it out http://www.alastairmcintosh.com
Then this week we sorted out lots of office/business/planning stuff together at FDM. Mr Parker and me got back to the music, working on songs again. And a little new stuff. We love it! More than half of this work is relationship, speaking the truth, figuring your way together. Working through the rubbish till youre all like: Yeah that feels right. Its hard work being in community, but I wouldnt have it any other way. Then last night we played Portsmouth to start the ExtraOrdinary tour off: HAVE YOU GOT A COPY OF THE EXTRAORDINARY RECORD YET? It is feckin cool. Merricks Artwork and Annas design are brilliant brilliant brilliant. So proud to work with such talented ba%76*ds. Thank you. Tell people about what were doing if you like it. Please spread the word. We love putting our music out in this independent way. But we really need your help in getting spreading the word. If you want to hear the new stuff and order or download a copy go to http://www.myspace.com/nizlopi . And look at the ExtraOrdinary video of us playing live in the studio here for ya. If you like it please send it as a link to people you think might also enjoy. For Leamington Folk: We are playing Fopp in the Royal Priors Leamington this Sunday (10/09/06) at 12 noon (Showdown!) come along and check it out. The Extraordinary CD (6 new songs) will be on sale there.
New Nizlopi website will be up soon. We are on our UK tour now until the 19th of September. Check the MySpace site for dates. And come on down, and tell your mates too! Looking forward to Playing Glasgow on the 16th where we play alongside (and hopefully with) Rory McLeod (.com for info) a wonderful inspiring righteous singer to whom I owe a lot! Alastair will be there with us that night too so its hero central. Keep walking tall and be true.
Love Luke
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August 21
(YOU CAN ALSO READ JOHN'S BLOG AT WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NIZLOPI)
Blogger T blog and the Blog tones 21/08/06
Oh yeah. Wow man, what a summer. Serious riping it up is a going on at gigs. Concious radical soul time is a being had. YES! We played Lowlands today and boy did it rock. We keep pushing out to our edge and it is mad important to do so. We must keep risking going out to the edge of our ability. And the edge of our deep service to the crowd, each other. The soul. Music. Cos those that abuse it are bound to lose it. Dutch crowds are mad for it man. Pogoing, giving so much, listening closely, singing. Theres strong love for music in the Netherlands. We checked out the Michal Franti and Spearhead gig yesterday and it has to be truly one of the top 5 gigs of all time for me. Warm, funky warriorship for the future of humanity. Great party vibes, great truth. Great Soul/Reggae/Ragga/Hip-hop. FULL RESPECT AND PEACE TO FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD. It was also the first gig that we have not all rushed like mad bastards to and from. We set off on Friday morning. Channel tunnel so as not to fly and f%^k up the atmosphere with any more carbon. Leisurely drive with a great meal break in Belgium (all laughter and talking, and missing my lover Kate who has fallen ill and is staying home) then getting to Holland resting and hitting the fest for revelry. Good to chill together and soak up a festi.
This week we were in the studio with Phil Brown. A man who has worked with more soul Reggae and Folk Legends than it is possible to believe. We recorded a couple of songs in a very natural-playing together in a room-way and they sound ace. So that is probably how we will record the new album in October.
Why is America arming and supporting Isreal? Why is the UK government refuelling these American Arms delivery planes? What is it America wants from supporting more violence in the middle east? What would it take to have a culture in which dialogue and recognition of our common humanity, empathy, love even rule our decision making? Probably it takes all manner of chaos, oppression and pain before we learn as a people to be wise.
We have a week off now. Me and Kate are going to go walking, resting, swimming in the Welsh Sea, and see some good mates. Love to youse. Do what you love. Follow your genius. Feck the rules.
Luke x
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August 15
(TO READ JOHN'S WEEKLY BLOG GO TO WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NIZLOPI)
Lukes 3rd blog. 11/08/06
My god. Its three weeks since my last! My homework is late!
Well you know weve been doing our usual thing; Pirating, robbing old people. And developing new methods of molecular engineering. But other than that, we have been killing shows around the country (as in gazumping the very centre of the gig and making it sing. Or tapping it on its head with a splitting wedge and the whole thing coming open to reveal its heart. Not negative murdering, killing!). Since we came back from our May break we seem to have gone from strength to strength. The good music flowing, going out on a limb, and giving audiences the best music we can.
As you know from Johns blog, Canada was a wonderful experience. It was great to get one week in which to really play to a nation. Live gigs, TV, Radio, MTV, Morning TV, Internet radio. It was wild. We made good amigos over there. Big thanks to AKA, Anastasia, EMI, and the fine people of Canada who made us so welcome. I got to sit down in my hotel room with my Bohdran and write some radical s$*t. Write lyric! Draw, say what you feel man. We need to rock.
We played Summer Breeze in Farnham. And some connection, some magic moment of letting go, or giving or a realization that music is beyond us, is coming from somewhere else Some wonderful thing made it one of my Favourite gigs ever. We played so well. We sung our hearts out. And Jp played Enter Sandman better than ever.
I had my birthday weekend off at the Big Chill after our kicking gig. And me and my Beloved Kate set up our transit van Hercules as a lovely gypsy caravan and attempted to chill amidst the large amounts of very loud trance music. We had an ace one and saw Chris Wood. A great Guitarist, singer songwriter, legend from Kent. He was wicked and suggests to guitarists to learn the melody of the song. And then let the chordal work serve, and dance with that melody.
We just played the Edinburgh Fringe at the weekend. Damn thats a great thing. Edinburgh is my Favourite city I think. It just seems to buzz with the life of a diverse populace who get truck loads of culture coming through their town every year. Being next to sea, mountains, Good people, Whiskey, Folk music and culture, make my heart glad. The Scots all so seem to have a lot of radicalism and nature spirituality going on. Way cool. The gig was great. It rocked. We improvised, stayed grounded; both had a laugh together, and gave a lot. It was what were about. We were relaxed and a great team. Its all about relationship yo!
Many thanks to Arthur and Asha for putting Kate and me up. And for the hospitality and incredible whiskey festival. To Nicole Et Martin (www.nicole-et-martin.ch the circus Kate produces) They are so damn talented, have such integrity, and what they do is so magical. Dylan Moran was there and said it was one of the best shows he has ever seen. To Jonnie for the great play and afternoon (Check out Baggage at the Pleasance (Below) old town. at 2.05pm for the rest of the fringe.) And To Adam. A wonderful man who took us to his tree house and showed us the beauty of the kingdom of Fife. And showed us the meaning of hospitality. Hes a legend. Check out his Beautiful hand made fair trade jewellery at www.adammcintosh.com He travels the world making relationships with Native folk and paying them double the going rate to set stones he has mined himself on earlier journeys. Recommended. See ya dudes. Luke x
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July 20
17/7/06 Bound for Toronto on Air India flight with JP and Katie B
Hello. After three days of festival gigs up and down the UK we are going to Toronto to play our first Canadian shows. A little tired and yet excited to be on another musical adventure. We decided a few years ago to go for this music. That it was a magical meeting point worth following through. And it does seem to be taking us on some crazy trips. Both inside and out. In the last months we have played a gig with my favourite musician (Rory McLeod) and with my favourite author Alastair McIntosh, as well as recorded a track with the latter. A Scots activist poet. (The Track is Homage to young men and is on ExtraOrdinary released on Nizlopi.com on Sept 4th) Following the heart to the crazy good places.
Regardless of how we harp on about how great it is to be on an independent family and friend run label, (i.e.: to be free) it can be really hard work. We are trying to run this business in a way that is equal and fair and hears everybodys voice at FDM (Our record label), and builds something we all want to see. Something that has real meaning to all of us. Lining up like that is hard. But it seems essential work! So Many systems seem to be run as hierarchies (in government and business) and they are not working. So we keep finding our way together. It can be hard, good fun, and a real lesson.
We opened Guilfest the other night (Friday 14/7/06). It was cool as feck. We all had a good laugh on the way down to the gig. And then got our selves warmed up back stage. Its a well organised family vibe at Guilfest, organised by Radio 2 I believe. John and me wrote our set list played a little together and then wrote an Intro. A kind of dark hip-hop thing with lyric about soul getting us through the coming storm. It kicked the whole thing off bad style and all the revellers seemed up for the Craic and what we were doing. We played Glastonbury for the first time at a festi and it felt good. People feeling and getting the story. John was loving it and giving loads of mad full-on scratch beats and crazy multi-tasking bass-business. But he is SOOOOOOOOO GAY (Johns addition). It was full of spirit and great fun to open a festival well. We then played a nice chilled out version of ExtraOrdinary for the Stuart Maconie show aided by a Stella (we never drink and play but on the odd occasion that we do we often times play really relaxed and well).
We did Godiva and Lounge on the Farm Festivals over the weekend too. Godiva: odd! Too chaotic. A beer-boy festival. With a weird quite dangerous vibe. Every one seemed to be losing their heads (sound men, creweveryone) it was tuff for us to do a good job with all the madness around us. Why dont they have open-air gigs so everyone can see the show? Or a much bigger tent! And more organization. And a place for bands to warm up and down from the gig that is private? Wish id seen Bad Marsh and Shri and Kila Kela and Tye.
Lounge On The Farm was cool. Cool people, cool ethos (locally source everything, we were the only non-local thing there I think!). Organic vibe to the whole thing. Sundays at festis can be a bit of a wash out! Everyone is knackered and in need of some peace/rest so it all felt a bit sedate. But people seemed to get a lot from it. Even at gigs where you feel the crowd are not mad for it (rare) people seem to just get what we are putting out.
My Kate is in France I miss her! Shes convalescing with some old dancing friends.
Listening to:
Rory McLeod: Brave Faces, Hes just soul soul soul, brilliant words, hand built rawness, and great spirit.
Chris Wood: The Lark Descending. I want to play guitar like him and write with such honesty.
Reading: Noam Chomsky: The Imperial Presidency: He says that the only people who ever really change history for the better (social/environmental justice) are people like you and me. Go make history, fight for what you feel is right, he calls world public opinion The Second Super Power. So its our duty to check injustice. The future is up to all of us. Reading Richard Jefferies The Story of my Heart. He goes in to nature and prays by all the beauty for his soul-life to sing the song celestial. Wicked.
Yours off to Canada to rock some shows with my Brother.
Luke
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July 5
Hey folkes
Just to let you know that Nizlopi have added another date to their forthcoming UK tour in September. its at The Point, Cardiff Bay, Wales and its on Tuesday 19th. please check out SHOWS section for all the info.
Ta and hope alls fruitful and right
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view all 10 posts
Anotheralias
You Guys rule, are you playing any festivals this year?
i hope so. the beatboxing on call it up is intence.
posted Mar 16
imnotbenji
I have Nizlobsession.
posted Feb 28
imnotbenji
love extraordinary, can\'t wait til i can get some
lyrics or maybe... just maybe some music for guitar or
piano.
posted Nov 20
imnotbenji
feel like coming to the US anytime soon? like for
instance... buffalo or erie? don\'t think so.. but
its worth a shot...
posted Nov 18
cleveridiot
Hi- I\'ve seen you guys around the parade before!
posted Sep 27
synthboinkxamatoh
awesome songs. very freestlye
posted Sep 24
courtney_oneka
guys. met you at lounge on the farm. your music was
amasing and you were both realy nice guys, i got the
album and it has been on repeat since. JCB is a fab
song but i also loved all of your other songs. i
especially loved your song glastonbury, is there any
chance you could put it up for me to listen to. all my
love and good wishes for the future. keep playing.
peace to your hearts. Courtney xxxxx
posted Aug 12
-R-O-C-K_o-b-s-e-s-s-e-r-
I Love U Guys... But Can U Add JCB As 1 Of Your Songs??
I Love It!! Thanx!
posted Aug 05