BRISTOL FOLK FESTIVAL PRESENTS NIZLOPI AT THE FLEECE, BRISTOL – 04/05/2014

Almost ten years ago, Nizlopi hit the scene with a rerelease of their unpretentiously titled, “JCB Song”. People paused to appreciate its unassuming simplicity all over the UK and I vividly remember the tune causing me to wheel in front of the television, spellbound by the poorly animated scene of a child riding alongside his Dad upon a dawdling yellow digger.

It was on Sunday the 4th of May – Start Wars Day – 24 hours that should have been spent parading plastic figurines around the carpet behind drawn curtains – a markedly more mature Luke Concannon and John Parker (aka Nizlopi) stopped making a nuisance of themselves throughout the bypasses of Warwickshire and instead chose to frequent the curiously uncongested roads of Bristol. The atmosphere around the city remained jovial as the aftermath of the first Make Sunday’s Special of 2014 in which the streets were awash with a veritable collection of quirky art and entertainment spilled over into early evening.

As part of this year’s Bristol Folk Festival, Nizlopi were invited to take to stage at The Fleece following a heartfelt and introspective performance by folk artist, Leander Morales. Luke and John walked modestly through the audience clutching their instruments and once on stage proceeded to display an unquestionable wonderment at their position, looking at each other with beaming smiles as if registering a profound achievement for the first time.

After reaching number 1 in the UK singles chart in December 2005, their preserved sense of appreciation was heartening to watch. The two embraced and turned a camera on the audience before picking up their instruments and performing the song “Find Me”. About 30 seconds in, however, Luke stopped playing and signalled for John to join him as he stepped off stage in a fitting attempt to connect with the audience, guitar in hand. The duo then proceeded to play a further two songs whilst absorbed in the intimacy of the crowd before returning to stage and looking at one another, enriched by what they had just experienced.

“How are you doing, guys?” Luke asked shortly before John began walking his fingers over the neck of his double bass. Throughout the evening, John provided the rhythm by way of vocal percussion whilst simultaneously accommodating backing vocals and stringed instrumentals. The two musicians were very much in tune with each other and their instruments, encouraging the audience to interact with the music on regular occasion.

Luke divulged his inspiration for several of the songs throughout the evening. One that stuck in my mind was of a beautiful girl he met in a café whilst hitchhiking through Turkey. He immediately fell in love with her and returned the next day, hopeful to meet her again. She wasn’t there so a disheartened Luke went to sit in a graveyard to write a song about her.

“Loads of labels tried to sign us,” Luke said without the merest hint of arrogance, “but it just didn’t feel right. They were just big offices concerned with bringing in money. We decided to stay independent and true to ourselves, so thanks for sticking by us. As a society, we can change things,” he furthered shortly before dropping his guitar and breaking into a heated rendition of “England UpRise!” “So follow your heart and don’t lose sight of your dreams.”

- Matthew J. Pallett