Nizlopi

Nizlopi came out of Nottingham with a sound that mixed folk and hip-hop in a way that felt both homemade and immediate. Their song "Worry" caught on with listeners, its straightforward delivery and plainspoken lyrics connecting without much fuss. The band was led by John Parker, who wrote and sang most of the material, with Luke Concannon handling various instruments and Geoff Kite contributing percussion early on.

They put out four studio albums between 2004 and 2012. The first, Half These Songs Are About You, included "JCB," a song about working-class life that became another of their recognizable tracks. Later records like Make It Happen and The Long Con kept to their blend of folk storytelling and rhythmic bounce, while Off the Grid experimented more with electronic textures.

Nizlopi's music didn't fit neatly into categories, which sometimes drew criticism from listeners expecting more conventional folk or hip-hop. Parker's lyrics often touched on social themes and personal reflection, delivered in a conversational style that avoided grand statements. Songs like "Drop Your Guard" and "England Up Rise" carried that same direct, unadorned quality.